


The Qrow Effect

by DocHabu



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Butterfly Effect, Fantasy, Gen, POV Third Person, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, This Is Just A Reimagining, This Isn't Another Attempt At Re-Writing The Show, Urban Fantasy, Volume 1 (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:47:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 28,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22728646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DocHabu/pseuds/DocHabu
Summary: The Butterfly Effect is such an interesting thing. All it takes is the slightest difference in order for a story to go down a different route than expected. If you like the idea of such a story, where a minor change has the potential to alter the course of history, then you've come to the right place. Experience a re-imagined version of RWBY's normal storyline that aims to improve upon the canon story, improve the characters, and change fate itself... with some breast envy mixed in.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 8





	1. Ruby Rose

Legends. Stories told orally or through written word, all scattered through time. Mankind has grown fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, but like one large-scale game of telephone, stories will almost always be told slightly differently from person to person. Either by remembering the story differently, or by retelling the story in order to accommodate the people hearing or reading it, the original message and the spirit behind it becomes that much more corrupted. You've heard this story before, haven't you? About how man was born from dust, with creatures of pure destruction known as Grimm seeking their demise, with humanity coming out on top thanks to the use of a resource named after that which they were born? If that story wasn't true, then our reality would be false and humanity would have long been extinct.

This time, I want to tell you a story that's just as, if not more familiar to all of you than mankind's triumph over the harsh darkness it was born into. The story of a young, silver-eyed girl and her friends. I'm going to skip through or summarize the parts we already know about, but I will intentionally corrupt it in order to teach a different lesson; to show a different message. This won't be a story Salem will tell, about how flames that burn will eventually flicker and die. Nor is it one that Ozpin will tell about how victory in strife can be found in the simpler things in life, and that someone with a smaller and more honest soul can achieve it. Instead, the focus is about what I call The Qrow Effect, and how even the slightest difference in how events are carried out or how a person behaves or looks, no matter how small or innocuous, can have a big impact on how the course of history will be determined. It can also be the deciding factor between the ultimate of two choices for fate to contemplate: life or death?

* * *

Yang and Ruby had been given their monthly allowance the other day, so the two of them went out to go shopping. They had already gotten off the boat that lead the two sisters to Vale, and if the evening sun that was above the sky was anything to go off of, it looked like they still had plenty of time to see the sights in-between shopping before most of the places here closed.

Their first order of business was one that's been overdue for the past few days. In this story, the unique change that will alter the course of history... are Ruby's breasts. Specifically, they're much larger than Yang's, and are even big enough to make Glynda take second place. And, because of how well they've been developing, they had to go out and shop for a new bra that could comfortably contain their size.

"Man," Ruby began with a slight whine, "I can't wait to slip into a bra that fits again..."

Yang gave a weak laugh at that. "This is, what, your sixth one you had to go out and buy?"

"Number seven..." Ruby answered, sighing. She perked up a little when an assuring thought came to mind. "Well, who knows? Seven's a lucky number, so maybe I don't have to worry about getting another one after this?"

"Ooh, no," Yang replied, shaking her head. "You're still fifteen, so I wouldn't count on it being over. From my experience, you've got another year or two of growing left."

Ruby hesitated for a moment as she thought about it... before visibly deflating a little. "Yeah, that's true..."

While it sucked that she had to spend her allowance on what would otherwise go towards a potential upgrade to Crescent Rose, she did ultimately take pride in her bust size, and she was more confident because of her assets. It seemed surprising how quickly Ruby grew, and how many of Yang's old bras were loaned before none of them fit anymore. The blonde developed the same as you would expect, sure, but Ruby had surpassed Yang's current size, and at a significantly younger age, meaning her ego grew in tandem. 

Was Yang jealous? When it all happened, she was definitely jealous at first. In fact, those old feelings flared up from time to time. But apart from that, she was not only used to this dynamic between the two of them, but sometimes she realized that having an even bigger chest than she did now wouldn't be worth all the extra Lien on clothing or the back exercises. Yet her sister can somehow make it all work while still being a terrific fighter to boot. So, more power to her.

After a bit of walking, they made their way to a clothing store called One Size Fits All. I don't think any of you reading along care about the specifics of what the two actually do there, and I'm sure you can figure it out on your own, so I'll just bring us forward a few minutes later.

Both Yang and a now more upbeat Ruby came out of the shop. The older of the two sisters couldn't help but notice the younger one's new positivity. It was infectious, as Yang couldn't help but smile as well. "So I take it you got a good deal?"

Ruby was beaming at this point. "Worth every Lien~!" she replied. "Oh! And speaking of, I think I still have some spending money left to stock up on Dust. Gotta be ready for training at Signal once the weekend's over, you know?"

Yang nodded in response. "So we'll meet up at the docks like usual?" Yang had a few things to do around town herself, and she trusted her younger sister enough to stay safe while she was on her own.

"Sounds good!" Ruby replied, before the two walked off to go down their own paths.

* * *

Later, at night...

A group of five men walk down an alleyway in Vale. Most of them were unremarkable, save for their black clothing and red accessories. But the fifth one, standing at the very front? He was the important one. The leader. Everybody who saw him could tell that he was dangerous, and they were even afraid of being physically near him. If he lacked his entourage, it wouldn't have made a difference. From the bowler hat with a plume secured by a red band, to the cigar in his mouth, to the expensive-looking white jacket, everyone knew who he was. 

And his goal? A Dust shop, still open late at night.

Of course, Roman Torchwick was a man of class. He wouldn't just break into any random Dust shop, steal as much inventory as he and his henchmen could get their hands on, and call it a night. No, he wanted to do things his own way. "From Dust Till Dawn" was the shop he had his sights set on. He had plenty of influence in this part of town, so all it would take was a few words and a gun in order to get what he wanted. No fuss, no mess. 

The only thing he had to look out for, however, was Ruby Rose. She's been a thorn on his side for quite some time, which is why he made it clear to his rent-a-goons that they need to be on the lookout for someone who wore red and black and had—her most prominent feature—silver eyes.

Once everyone got inside, the goons looked around, and didn't see anyone matching the description of who they were supposed to look out for. In fact, it looked like nobody was around, so they all assumed they had free rein over the place. 

If only they weren't so lazy and actually bothered to look to the magazine rack in the shop's corner. Ruby was definitely there, but wasn't aware of what was about to happen. She was too busy reading issue #228 of Weapons Magazine, with her headphones on as she listened her mix tape of Jeff Williams songs.

As Torchwick approached the front counter, he removed the cigar from his mouth and unceremoniously flicked the ashes off of it and onto the floor, much to the shopkeeper's annoyance.

This was just as Torchwick has done plenty of times before. First, the words. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Dust shop open this late?" 

Then the gun. One henchman pulled out their sidearm, which had the shopkeeper react by putting both of his hands up in front of himself. He knew for a fact that Torchwick was here on racketeering business.

"P-please!" the elderly man begged. "Just take my Lien and leave!" 

There was a moment in Ruby's music where things got quiet, and she heard the shopkeeper's panic. She quickly reached down to turn off her music and listen in.

Money? Oh, this wasn't about money. Not this time, at least. Despite his entrance, Torchwick felt that the shopkeeper had nothing to worry about, provided he would help the crime boss a little. "Shh, calm down, we're not here for your money." Torchwick revealed what he was actually here for next, as he looked over to one of his henchmen. "Grab the Dust."

Ruby's eyes widened. Torchwick was here? And he wasn't here to collect protection money? This was... weird. Just what is he up to? She just kept her headphones on and went back to reading her magazine. If she was lucky, she'd be able to get the jump on whichever goon got close enough.

Speaking of, one of them placed a gray case onto the counter. It was then opened, revealing several large canisters. Each one was already being grabbed out of the case in order to fill them with the refined Dust in stock. A second case was brought out and placed on the counter. The shopkeeper, who had no choice but to assist with what was happening, saw there was nothing in it, but... well, this was going to change, wasn't it?

"Crystals," demanded the robbers, his voice calm yet firm. "Burn. Uncut." They could bag as much Dust as they wanted, but Fire Dust took priority. The shopkeeper reluctantly began filling the case with the stock he had on display within the counter he was standing behind.

A henchman was on canister duty, just like everyone else. He walked to one section of the shop, and in the corner of his eye... Wait, who was that? Someone was just standing there, reading a magazine like nothing was going on. Come to think of it... she looked as though they matched the description for Ruby Rose. She was wearing a red hood over her head, but the henchman could see that there was plenty of black being worn as well. He drew out his sword and started walking closer to her. Ruby was standing perfectly still, waiting for her moment to strike. She couldn't move too much, or the facade showing that she couldn't hear the goon coming would become see-through. She carefully listened to the henchman's footsteps as he got closer. And then...

The silver-eyed warrior snapped around to throw her magazine at the henchman as a distraction. Knocked off balance, he was already roped into Ruby's trap and disarmed. He was then subjected to a series of punches in places he didn't realize could hurt, before Ruby grabbed him tightly. She activated her Semblance, carried the henchman across the store as she left behind a trail of rose petals and her opponent's screaming, before he was dropped and forced to crash through the window.

Roman Torchwick barely saw the red blur that just flew across. Even if he hadn't, the noises he heard and the gust of wind he felt clued him in on what was going on. He and the other goons turned around to see what was going on outside. T was lying on his back, incapacitated. And Ruby Rose...

... Was very winded. She was panting, bent over with her hands on her thighs. She can lift some decently heavy weights, but a fully grown man? Her strength was still something to be desired in that regard. Ruby looked up as she felt eyes on her. There were the other henchmen, who were surprised by what they saw. And standing in the middle: "MATCHSTIIICK!!" 

Matchstick. That damn nickname. Torchwick realized that this robbery just became a lot more difficult than he hoped. "First time carrying a body, or are you already losing your touch at such a young age?"

Ruby stood upright again, having finally caught her breath. "First time carrying a **grown man** ," she replied. "But I'm only gonna get better and better from here on out."

Torchwick smiled. "Well, you've got spirit, I'll give you that. You play your cards right, and you might do better than the cops around here." Torchwick paused so he could take a drag from his cigar. As he blew out the smoke from his lungs and out the window, he just stared Ruby down. "Why don't we cut to the chase?"

Ruby simply flashed Torchwick a smile from where she was standing. She reached behind her cape and drew out her weapon. All the moving parts unfolded to reveal Crescent Rose, her big, red gun-scythe. Then, as a show of force, Ruby twirled her scythe around herself, the blade then flung into the asphalt and causing the resulting debris to fly upwards.

Torchwick nodded slightly, mildly impressed. He then glanced around to see that his henchmen were still standing there, staring like idiots. "Are all of you going to do your jobs or not!? I didn't pay you to just watch!" That was enough to motivate all the henchmen to rush outside of the store to attack. Even the one who got flung out of the window was coincidentally combat ready. 

The first henchman tried to take a swing at her with his sword, but Ruby was too quick. She gracefully spun around on the handle of the still-stationary Crescent Rose like an acrobat, before coming back around to counter with a kick with both feet.

Torchwick had to duck in order to avoid getting hit by the flying henchman, watching as he got launched back into the store. Torchwick then poked his head back up to look at the action again, positioned in a way that he'll also be able to avoid anymore flying goons.

Ruby pulled Crescent Rose out of the ground and looked over to see two more henchmen charging at her. She held Crescent Rose behind her, anticipating the right moment to strike. She kept her finger on the trigger. Wait for it... NOW! Crescent Rose fired off, and Ruby rode the recoil, gracefully spinning with the weapon still in her hands. The first goon got knocked into the air, before Ruby used her remaining momentum to leap forward and hammer her second target against the ground.

One more henchman remained. This time, he was packing a straight-up assault rifle. Ruby cocked Crescent Rose and had the head of the scythe in front of her this time. With the pull of the trigger, she narrowly avoided the spray of bullets thanks to her weapon's recoil. Ruby kept this going, riding more recoil that allowed her to maneuver around the fully automatic fire, before the final shot allowed her to use the handle of Crescent Rose to clothesline the goon. He was helpless to stop himself from getting flung up in the air and then batted away.

Torchwick made his way out the front door, just in time to watch the final henchman land right in front of him. Well, this has gone downhill. And to think, these were supposed to be **good** mercenaries that he hired. "You were worth every cent." They weren't. "Truly, you were." His disappointment was immeasurable, and what would've been a good night of heisting was ruined. All because they couldn't take down **one** girl wielding a scythe.

Ruby gave a slight frown. Crime boss or not, she could understand what it's like to have one's money wasted on something that didn't work as advertised. "I take it good help is running thin, Matchstick?" 

Torchwick removed the cigar from his lips, giving a bitter chuckle. "Only because someone always shows up and breaks apart my plans like a spoiled brat with her toys." Torchwick of course put emphasis on the word "brat," using passive-aggression to demean the aspiring huntress. He dropped his cigar, and put it out with the bottom of Melodic Cudgel, his cane. "Well, Red, I think we can say it's been an eventful evening. And as much as I'd like to stick around..." he then raised his cane, pointed it at Ruby, and armed it with the press of a button. The lid flipped open, where it served its secondary function as crosshairs. He was ready. Now all he had to do was aim... "I'm afraid this is where we part ways." And fire. 

The projectile which shot out of Melodic Cudgel cut through the air, howling like a firework. Ruby turned Crescent Rose and points it to the ground beneath her feet, using recoil to fly out of the way. She narrowly avoided both the impact and the resulting explosion that ensued. She landed back on the ground and... 

Huh? Where did Torchwick run off too? This was when she realized that in the time it took for her to dodge out of the way of the shot, and then land back on the ground, he must've made a bee-line somewhere. The worst part was, the explosion masked the sound of his running, so she had to use her eyes to find him. And she found him... going up a ladder to the rooftops!

She looked over at the shopkeeper who witnessed what was happening. "Stay safe. I'm going after him." And with that, she ran to pursue him.

Torchwick was the first one to make it to the rooftop. But Ruby wasn't too far behind, as she used Crescent Rose to catapult herself up to where the crime boss had escaped to. She watched as he made his way to the other side of the roof. "It's the end of the line, Matchstick!" Ruby called out.

Torchwick slowed himself down to a stop. It wouldn't be Ruby Rose if she didn't have her little sense of perseverance, now would she? She always made his life of crime that much more interesting. He saw her as a comic book hero, always chasing after the villain. It was adorable. What a shame that it wasn't how the world worked, however. "Never change, Red."

That was when a Bullhead rose in front of where he was standing. Ruby saw this, raising an arm up to keep herself from being blinded by a spotlight that shined in her direction. Seriously!? How did nobody see or hear this thing earlier?

The side door to the Bullhead opened, just as Torchwick stepped his way up from the edge of the roof. He smoothly embarked the aircraft like he simply rose a small set of stairs. He then turned around, looking to Ruby. "And for the record, Red," he shouted over the roar of the Bullhead's engines, before pulling out a red Dust crystal. "That's supposed to be MY line!"

The Dust crystal was thrown, shining under the artificial rays of the aircraft's spotlight. Ruby wasn't sure what Torchwick was up to until she caught him raising his cane again. She had no choice but to dive out of the way, just as another shot from Melodic Cudgel rang out. Even then, it wasn't enough to get her out of the blast radius of the large explosion that ensued. Torchwick looked on to see the resulting mushroom cloud that encompassed the roof, and boy was he ecstatic! He looked on to see the damage he had done... only to notice something... 

No, it wasn't something. It was **someone.**

A blonde woman, dressed in formal attire and wearing a rugged black-and-purple cape, arrived on time to save Ruby from getting blown up. A violet glyph floated in front of the two of them, which soon dissipated on its own. Ruby looked over to see her savior. The way she carried herself, that power she had... it was Glynda Goodwitch! A Huntress! Now was probably going to be the only chance for Ruby to not only capture Torchwick and see him be put to justice, but also impress a fully fledged Huntress! And Glynda's first move? She summoned streaks of purple projectiles that almost knocked the Bullhead off balance from where it drifted in the air. 

Torchwick was knocked about, even grunting as he was forced to bang his shoulder against the wall separating the cabin from the cockpit. In fact, now that he was within speaking distance of her, this made it a good time to warn his new partner in crime about it. "We've got a huntress!" he exclaimed.

The mysterious woman got up from the pilot's seat, which prompted Torchwick to sit down and take over piloting the Bullhead. During all of this commotion, Glynda prepared herself to do another attack. With the flick of her riding crop in the aircraft's direction, a sparkling ball of energy fired forth before exploding into a rune in the air above. Dark clouds formed over the Bullhead, catching the attention of Torchwick.

"What the hell...?" Torchwick had little time to react to the sudden falling of thick icicles from these dark clouds. In fact, he narrowly avoided one by moving his body down and to the side. Had he not done that, the world would be without one pilot-slash-kingpin.

Ruby slammed her scythe down in front of herself so she could take aim. Maybe if she made a well-placed shot or two into the Bullhead's engines, she could disable it and bring it down! But a new target showed up. Glynda watched as a new challenger approached, clad in high heels and a red dress. Ruby could tell who this was: an accomplice! Deciding to change targets, Ruby aimed Crescent Rose directly at the mysterious woman and fired a couple shots.

Her counter-attack involved a direct flame blast at Ruby, which Glynda blocks with more runes. However, like paint being flicked off of a brush, the fireball splattered across the rooftop as stains, which were already glowing yellow with heat. With another gesture from the pyromancer, the ground below Ruby glowed. 

Ruby reacted by moving out of the way, using Crescent Rose to jump up diagonally in the air. A pillar of explosive fire narrowly missed the aspiring huntress, and her landing involved doing a mid-air cartwheel over Glynda before landing, now standing by the other side of the Huntress.

Glydna was quick to make use of an opportunity of her own. That explosion caused a lot of debris to shoot up, which was something she could work with. Using her semblance, the glowing hot fragments of the roof became a much colder purple, before forming a large, improvised arrow. It launched forward to the Bullhead, which the pyromancer blasted repeatedly in order to reduce its size.

The arrow reformed despite this, and it would've struck the woman had it not been Torchwick's quick thinking; the Bullhead leaned in order to force the arrow to graze along the aircraft's top. 0That could've been the end of the attack, but it wasn't. Glynda turned that scattered and broken debris into three more arrows, which were flying around the Bullhead to get a strike down on the pyromancer. 

The pyromancer's response was an area-of-effect attack. Rings of indecipherable runes materialized around herself. Then, both of her arms went out, causing a sphere of orange magic to shatter completely and burn the arrows into embers. 

Well, ranged attacks clearly weren't working. So, instead, Ruby did the next best thing. She ran forward along the roof, used her semblance to fly into the air. Then, as she slipped back into normal form, she aimed her scythe backwards and fired off a shot. The recoil was be enough to fling herself forward and deliver a kick against the pyromancer's midsection with both feet, causing her to be flung back and be hit against the other door of the bullhead. And now that they were in the same vehicle together, Ruby got a better look at the pyromancer. Fair-skin, black hair, amber eyes. She wore a black choker around her neck, and her red dress had intricate yellow patterns on the sleeves, which ended in triangle shapes that were wrapped around her middle fingers.

Oh, and there was the pissed off expression she had, as though offended that someone landed a blow on her to begin with. "GET AWAY!" The amber-eyed woman called forth a gust of wind that ejected Ruby out of the Bullhead.

Ruby had to make a recovery now, and fast! She aimed Crescent Rose to the ground, placed her feet on the blade like she was using it as a Pogo-stick, and with a well-timed shot, she gave herself a new momentum that would allow her to spin in the air, simultaneously do a flip, and then land next to Glynda again. Ruby looked up in time to witness the Bullhead close its door and fly away. And so the bad guy gets away once again. 

"Man...!" Ruby groaned. "I nearly had him this time, too!" Remembering that there was someone else that took the time to help, Ruby looked over to Glynda. "That was fun, though!" she added, beaming. "I never thought I'd get to fight alongside a Huntress!"

* * *

Unfortunately, Ruby went from grinning to feeling ashamed. She was sitting inside of an interrogation room. The kind that had the single, bright light on her and no other light in the room. The only sound in the room was the clacking of Glynda's heels as she paced the room with a tablet in her hand. "Stopping a dust shop robbery at this time of night! Unbelievable!" Glynda exclaimed, verbally chewing Ruby out. "I hope you realize that your actions tonight won't be taken lightly, young lady!"

What was that? "Young lady?" Ruby echoed, offended. "I'm more mature than just any "young lady," you know!"

Glynda sighed, looking over to Ruby. Were they really about to get into a debate of semantics? Fine. "And how old are you?"

"I'm fifteen!" replied Ruby.

This... left Glynda with a somewhat shocked expression, especially as those green eyes of hers looked the silver-eyed warrior over. She was fifteen... with breasts that size? Glynda said nothing, but she was amazed. They were as big as her head! It was hyperbole, of course, but she couldn't deny that Ruby was bustier out of the two of them, and at such a young age! Was... was Ruby trying to use them to challenge her authority?... No, Glynda, relax, she's just a young girl. There was no sense trying to read that far into what Ruby is saying. She's just demanding more respect, nothing more. 

With a free hand, Glynda adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat for a moment. "Khm... Well, I'm afraid you still count as a young lady." Ruby decided not to press the topic any farther, especially after seeing the look on the Huntress's face. Glynda, calmer, continued with what she was going to say. "You put other people in great danger because of your antics. Not to mention yourself, considering your overaggressive fighting style."

Ruby looked Glynda in the eye as she gave her response. "My fighting style, I'll admit, puts me at risk... at times, but the police in Vale wouldn't have gotten there in time to stop Matchstick—sorry, **Torchwick** from robbing that Dust shop. I was inside the building when the robbery happened, so I was in a better position to stop him! If I hadn't stepped in, then the place would've been picked clean, possibly with a dead shopkeeper."

That was a good point. Even Glynda herself was rather late to stop what was happening. There was also that remark from earlier, about how Ruby "nearly had" Torchwick, and how she even had a nickname for a dangerous criminal... That wasn't the first time the two of them encountered each other, was it? "... Well, you're pragmatic for a teenager," Glynda finally commented. "And if it were up to me, I'd be sending you home with a pat on the back and a slap on the wrist. But... there is someone here who would like to meet you."

Glynda moved aside to reveal... Whoa! Professor Ozpin of all people was here too! And he brought an offering: a plate of fresh cookies! It didn't take Ruby long to figure out that Glynda was the bad cop, and Ozpin was playing good cop.

"Ruby Rose," Ozpin acknowledged, moving closer to the table. "You..." Ozpin trailed off as he, too, had a look of surprise as he got closer. Fine. She was already used to having eyes drawn to her bust, so she knew it couldn't be helped. But, in reality, Ozpin was surprised by something else altogether. "... Silver eyes...!" he muttered, those two words barely audible enough for Ruby to pick up on compared to what else he said.

"Huh? My eyes?" Well, this was interesting. She didn't think she'd meet anyone who would first notice her eyes.

Ozpin's focus returned to Ruby herself instead of her eyes. "Oh, apologies. I just noticed that your eyes are silver." He placed the cookies down in front of Ruby, who didn't hesitate to take one and bite into it. "It's an incredibly rare trait. There's even a legend about them, about how they're the mark of someone destined to lead the life of a warrior."

Oh, right! The whole thing about silver-eyed warriors! Ruby swallowed the bite of the cookie she was chewing as she listened. "Well, there's probably some merit to it, considering that it's... actually my dream to become a Huntress."

"Not to mention how you well you performed earlier." Ozpin then pointed to the tablet that Glynda was holding, which showed footage of Ruby taking on the mercenaries from earlier. "Where did you learn to fight like that? And how did you learn to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"

Ruby couldn't help but smile. "My Uncle Qrow has been teaching me how to fight at Signal Academy since I was thirteen."

"Ah, Mr. Branwen!" That explained it! "Yes, I know him well enough. Another scythe-wielder, just like you. I can clearly see that he taught you well. And you've taken to learning how to fight monsters remarkably well for someone so young."

"Oh, you bet!" exclaimed Ruby. "I was complete garbage at fighting when he first took me under his wing. And now, I'm WAY better at kicking ass and taking names!" Maybe swearing in front of the Headmaster of Beacon was a bad idea. "Oh, um, pardon me."

Ozpin gave a nod, willing to let that one go. "So you wish to follow the life a warrior?"

"Yeah!" Ruby replied. "I only have two more years of training left at Signal. Afterwards, I'm hoping to apply at Beacon! My sister's going there too in order to become a Huntress, but you... probably know that already. But I'm hoping to join as well, since I enjoy helping people!" She was visibly showing an increasing enthusiasm as she spoke, her dialogue even speeding up. "My parents and even my uncle learned how to fight at beacon, so I thought I'd follow in their footsteps! Sure, I could be a cop, but Huntsmen and Huntresses are a step up in the food chain, AND THEY'RE WAY MORE EXCITING AND COOL AND--" erupting from her mouth was a fan-girlish squeal, which was thankfully contained enough to not do any harm to either professor's eardrums. "YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!?"

The two of them simply stared at her at first. Well, Ruby not only had the potential, but she seemed eager to become a Huntress. Ozpin then gave Ruby a soft smile. "Do you know who I am?" he asked.

Ruby looked to the both of them. "Of course. In fact, I know who both of you are. You're Professor Ozpin, and you're Professor Goodwitch," she answered, motioning to each respective person when their names were brought up.

It would seem that the young girl did her research. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Rose," Ozpin replied, with Glynda giving a silent nod.

"Likewise!" replied Ruby, grinning. "So... does this mean you're extending an invitation for me to attend?"

"That depends," Ozpin replied. "Do you wish to attend my school?"

The answer Ruby gave was something she's known so long. "More than anything."

The two professor shared a look with each other. Glynda saw first hand that Ruby had potential and had experienced live combat on multiple occasions. It might be safer if Ruby finished her time at Signal, but if Ozpin wanted to have her skip that and learn how to fight at Beacon, then Glynda was curious enough to see where this will go. Overall? Glynda simply shrugged her shoulders.

And Ozpin's final verdict? "... Well, if it means that much to you... you have my personal invitation."

To say that Ruby was filled was excitement was an understatement. But then again, you all know that by now, right?

* * *

The news that Ruby was going to Beacon hadn't reached her sister yet. This was good, as Ruby figured that she could surprise Yang with it. Ruby had been waiting for the airship to take off, and once it was on its way to Beacon Academy, she went around to look for her sister. At first, she couldn't find her, and there was a mild sinking feeling that they weren't on the same airship together. Or maybe Yang was late? 

But then she saw her. That long blonde hair and those lilac eyes were proof that the girl Ruby saw was none other than Yang Xiao Long. As Ruby approached her, Yang finally noticed who joined her. "Ruby...?" Yang asked, surprised. She met up halfway with her younger sister. "What are you doing on here?"

The silver-eyed warrior brought both of her own hands behind her back and together. "Well~! I thought I'd let you know that your little sister got invited directly to Beacon by none other than Professor Ozpin!"

This left Yang wide-eyed, even more surprised than before. "You're kidding!" she exclaimed, a feeling of joy now swelling within the blonde.

"Nope!" Ruby was beaming as she then pulled out an envelope. "I've got the invitation and everything!"

Yang was quick to snatch it from her sister's hand and examine the message inside. The same message, the same signature... the letter was real. So that confirms it. Ruby and Yang get to attend the same school together! "That's amazing!" Yang went in for a sisterly hug, still clutching the letter and envelope in her hands. "I can't believe my sister's going to Beacon with me! This is the best day EVER!"

In Yang's excitement, however, she neglected to show restraint. Ruby's huge breasts were being compressed against Yang's comparatively smaller ones, and this restricted the younger sister's breathing. "Please stop...!" she gasped out.

Yang let her go, thankfully. "Sorry, but I'm just so proud of you~! Tell me all about it!"

And here, Ruby began the summary of events. "Well, I ran into Matchstick again, but this time at a Dust shop. Then one of the professors at Beacon showed up to help me fight him and this other girl he was with. They got away, I got escorted to a police station to be interrogated--"

"So that's what was keeping you!" Yang interrupted, relieved she wasn't there for anything serious. "Whew! Man, I can't believe you can get locked up for trying to help around nowadays..."

"I didn't get locked up!" Ruby continued. "I was just given a lecture, and then Professor Ozpin showed up. We talked for a bit, about how my silver eyes are supposed to mean something..."

"The Legend of the Silver-Eyed Warriors, right?" she asked, referencing the same myth that Ozpin brought up the other night.

"Yeah, that one!" Ruby replied, before concluding her story. "Eventually, he offered for me to join Beacon. I accepted, and here I am now!"

Yang grinned after the full explanation was given to her. "That's incredible! I knew fighting crime would get you somewhere!"

Ruby chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "Thanks, but... could you please keep it down? I'm not looking for that kind of attention."

This confused Yang a little. "Why not? You get to skip ahead two years, so people already know you're going to be a fighting prodigy!"

"Well, yeah, but..." Yang had a fair point, but Ruby still felt the need to refute it. And yet... she couldn't. So, she smiled. "Okay, fine. You're right! I'm fifteen and I fight crime, so it's not like I don't deserve to be called a fighting prodigy."

Yang walked around in order to give her sister a one-armed hug while Ruby talked. "Yeah, there you go! You're gonna be attending Beacon, so you need to stay confident. Because..." She then brought her free hand forward, as though motioning to an imaginary big picture. "Confidence sells!"

Both sisters had their attention drawn to a Vale News Network broadcast being played nearby. There was a mugshot of a familiar, orange-haired man being displayed. "The robbery was led by a nefarious criminal known as Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information..."

Focus was lost on what was being broadcast when Yang leaned a bit closer to Ruby to ask something. "Huh. So that's--"

"Yep," Ruby replied with a nod. Roman "Matchstick" Torchwick. Had it not been for him, she wouldn't be going to the same combat school as her sister.

Another report was being told about a Faunus Civil Rights protest and the White Fang, but Yang was still focused on the current topic. "Did you get a look at his partner? The woman you mentioned?"

Ruby thought back on that night. "Black hair, amber eyes, fights with Fire dust woven into her clothes, old enough to be our mom..."

"Eugh!" Yang groaned a little at that, even recoiling away from her sister from how grossed out she was. "I don't want that image of dad and someone like her in my head."

The news feed was cut off by the holographic projection of Glynda.

"Who's that?" Yang asked, pointing to the hologram.

"Professor Goodwitch," Ruby answered. "The one who helped me fight Torchwick that night."

The hologram gave the passengers its message. "Hello, and welcome to Beacon! My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." And, with that, the hologram disappeared.

The other passengers went over to the glass walls to admire the outside view. In fact, Ruby and Yang couldn't help but look over as well. 

"Oh, wow!" Ruby quickly approached the glass, with Yang following suit. "Look, you can see Signal from up here!" she mentioned, pointing out the small island known as Patch. 

"I guess home isn't too far after all!" commented Yang.

The two of them then heard a groaning passenger. He was hunched over and frantically running to the back of the ship, leaving behind evidence of his nausea.

"Someone must be really afraid of heights," Ruby commented. "Well, it was a nice moment while it lasted."

Yang rolled her eyes, mainly in response to the retreating passenger they just saw. "Guess the view isn't for everyone."

The two of them looked to each other, Ruby smiling. "I wonder who we're going to meet! I just hope they're better than Vomit Boy," she joked, which got a small laugh from Yang.


	2. The Shining Beacon

It didn't take long after the airships got within proximity of Beacon for all of them to dock. Every future student of Beacon, including our main characters and the nauseated blond from earlier (although he had other priorities at the moment), disembarked the airships they arrived in and made their way to the front of the school itself.

As Ruby and Yang got closer to the main plaza, they looked up to see the academy itself. The tall ivory towers, the circular pond within an amphitheater of brilliant architecture... it was a sight to behold. And it made Ruby realize something.

This... definitely wasn't anything like Signal Academy. And now that Ruby was there to see it for herself, she was admittedly a bit worried. No, terrified. For one, nobody made any mention of where everyone would be sleeping. She glanced around and tried to look over the buildings, but she couldn't quite figure out which one potentially contained any dorm rooms, if at all.

Yang, however, looked more laid back about the current situation. "Wow! The view from Vale's got nothing on this!"

Ruby mentally pushed back her anxiety and tried to focus on what her sister was saying. "It really doOOOHMYGOSH, LOOK!" She got closer to Yang as the silver-eyed girl pointed to something that could keep her mind off things: "That girl's got a fire sword!" Weapons. Other people's weapons, to boot! She then pointed to someone else, a Komodo dragon Faunus. "And _that girl_ has nunchucks with three ends instead of just two!"

Yang just rolled her eyes as her younger sister was letting out her inner weapons geek. "Easy there, sis. They're just weapons."

Ruby blinked, somewhat surprised to hear Yang say that. "Just weapons?" she echoed as she looked up to her sister. "They're an extension of ourselves! Not only are they a part of us, but they also tell a lot about who a person is and how they fight. Not just their strengths, but also how they make up for their flaws!" Ruby's taken that talking point from Signal Academy to heart, it seems. "And they're so freaking cool, too!"

Yang didn't quite share her sister's enthusiasm. "But aren't you happy with your own weapon?" she asked.

"Of course I am!" Ruby answered with no hesitation. Ruby then brought out Crescent Rose, still collapsed into its box form. "I just really like seeing new ones, that's all. Plus, they might give me ideas on how to improve Crescent Rose."

Yang just shook her head, smirking. What was she going to do with this girl? "You're such a dork," the blonde commented as she brought her hand up to ruffle the girl's gradient hair playfully.

"ACK!" As much as she physically resisted her sister's attempt at messing up her hair, Ruby was visibly amused.

Yang relented, of course. "I worry about you sometimes. I think it'll be good for you to meet new people, maybe even make some friends here of your own. Now that we're at Beacon together, we're not gonna be together as often as we usually are, y'know?"

This reminder did sting, even if Yang was right. Ruby didn't have her old friends from Signal with her, so apart from her sister, she was going to be by herself. Unless she can somehow meet someone she can get along with. Ruby's anxiety was resurfacing at the thought of being rejected by the other students attending Beacon. "But... I have you though, right?"

"Uh..." Yang was left with a question that was difficult to answer. Don't get her wrong, she loved Ruby with all her heart. But the answer wasn't as simple as saying "yes" or "no". Ruby might have been a crime fighter, but she still needed to develop a social life of her own instead of clinging to Yang. Luckily, the blonde was saved by the bell. It didn't take very long for a bunch of other students to show up and thus offer an excuse for Yang to use. "Actually, my friends are here already! I'll meet up with you again, Ruby! Bye!" she called out.

Wait, no, don't go! "Yang, wait! Yaaang!" She was going... and going... and now she was gone. "... Great," Ruby commented under her breath, lowering her head.

Well, now she was alone. And she had to come to terms with a realization that finally dawned on her: she was lost. She wasn't sure where to go next. Was she supposed to go to her dorm until she was needed? Where _was_ her dorm? In fact, were dorms even a thing at this academy? These thoughts ran through Ruby's mind, and her body just went into auto-pilot. She turned around, saddened, and took a step forward...

... Only to be jerked back to reality by her foot getting snagged on something. Gravity suddenly pulled her down, and by the time Ruby realized that she was tripping and falling into a luggage cart full of suitcases, she was helpless to stop herself. With a yelp, her whole body fell forward and caused the suitcases to fall over and even slide across the pavement.

"What are you doing!?"

"Huh?" Ruby looked over to see... a girl dressed in white, with a neat looking scar on her left eye! And this must've been her luggage.

... As soon as Ruby made the connection, her eyes widened. "Oh, crap! I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, pulling herself back up onto her feet while using the luggage cart as an anchor.

"Sorry!?" the white-clad girl began. "Do you have any idea how much damage you and those over-sized udders could've caused?"

Ruby was already grabbing one of the fallen cases to clean up after herself. But that comment about her breasts made her stop. "Excuse me?" Ruby asked, turning to and glaring at the girl.

Because of Ruby's sudden hesitation, the other student thought Ruby grabbed the suitcase out of further absentmindedness. "Give me that!" she demanded, reaching forward and practically ripping the luggage out of Ruby's grip, much to the silver-eyed girl's further annoyance. The pale girl then opened the suitcase to check the contents inside. Luckily, none of the bottles of Dust were broken or cracked. She closed the suitcase, and those blue eyes focused back onto Ruby. "These suitcases are full of Dust, all of which was mined and purified from the Schnee Quarry!"

A certain Faunus perked up hearing that name. Schnee?... She looked down at the suitcase that slid over to her while she was still reading her book. She closed the book for now and knelt down to open up and see what was inside the suitcase.

Meanwhile, Ruby looked a bit confused. "What?" Who in their right mind would store Dust in luggage? Isn't that dangerous?

Again, the pale girl misunderstood what was going on with Ruby, which lead to her becoming more ticked off than before. "What are you, brain-dead?! **Dust!** Fire, water, lightning, energy!"

And sure enough, that's what the amber-eyed girl saw inside. Vials of Dust with the Schnee Dust Company logo on each of them. She quietly shut the suitcase and looked at the two girls arguing with each other. One of which she now knew was none other than Weiss Schnee.

Ruby shook her head. This was getting out of hand. She tried to be diplomatic again in order to calm the girl down. "Listen, I-"

"Don't just shake your head at me like that! Are you even listening to what I'm trying to tell you? Is **any of this** even sinking in?"

Hearing this girl talk made Ruby's blood boil. One of her hands clenched into a fist. The diplomatic approach wasn't working, so there was only one other tactic left to use.

"What do you have to say for yourself!?" Weiss asked, completely unaware of what was about to happen.

Blake could see that Ruby was getting bullied. Perhaps it would be a good idea to intervene before the poor girl had to endure anymore undue verbal–

THUMP!

... Punishment. Never mind. Blake's amber eyes were wide after she just watched Ruby deliver a merciless, left-handed haymaker. Weiss recoiled from the impact and fell onto her back like her whole body was a plank of wood. Okay, it took a lot of guts for someone to punch a Schnee. So far, Blake was impressed by the silver-eyed girl's bravado.

Ruby didn't move to pull back her fist, even after delivering that satisfying punch. Instead, she just stood there, arm still extended and processing what just happened. Weiss was on the ground. Ruby's knuckles were tingling after delivering a blow that connected pretty well. She didn't hold back, either! Weiss _had_ to have felt it!

And felt it Weiss did. Out of reflex, her hand was placed over the point of impact: her nose. And while she didn't feel any blood flowing out, the punch was still impressive enough to shut Weiss right up. While Ruby failed to settle things with words, she stood up for herself using force. Not only that, but before it even had the chance to come up, she made a compelling argument on why she deserved to attend Beacon despite being younger than most of the other students.

This was a better time for Blake to step in than any. She walked over to the two of them until she stood next to Ruby. "You know, I was about to intervene because you were getting bullied, but you clearly didn't need my help." she mentioned before looking to Ruby and smiling softly. "I'm Blake, by the way."

Ruby couldn't help but smile back, especially when she saw that someone was on her side. "Ruby," the silver-eyed girl greeted back.

Blake's smile went away as she then looked down at Weiss, who was only now getting up. "Listen, the whole thing was clearly an accident and Ruby apologized for it. Besides, having your luggage toppled is nothing compared to the many "accidents" your father could've prevented at his quarries."

Weiss seemed to freeze in place after hearing that last part, filled with a mix of dread and surprise. The realization dawned on her that someone attending Beacon knew who she was. Oh no...

Ruby was a bit confused. But after she saw Weiss's reaction, she was also quite curious. "Um..." Her silver eyes glanced over to Blake. "I'm a bit out of the loop here. What are you talking about?"

"The girl you just punched?" Blake began, looking back at Ruby. "She's Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." She didn't need to say anything more about the SDC. Anyone who wasn't living under a rock knew who they were and what they were about, including their checkered history. So on top of being punched in the face, Weiss was now being humiliated by a total stranger. This would not bode well for her first few days at Beacon, would it?

That was when she noticed a hand reaching out to her. She looked up and saw that it was Ruby's. "For what it's worth, I really should've watched where I was going to begin with. And maaaybe punching you in the face was a bit too far. Do you want to start over and be friends? I'll do my best to make it up to you."

Weiss was a bit surprised. After all that verbal abuse, and a punch that she... might have deserved... Ruby was okay with moving past their disagreement and being friends? Weiss never had that kindness in her life before. She started reaching her hand up to grab Ruby's.

But... then another thought crossed Weiss's mind. What if Ruby was only being nice because she now knew who Weiss was? Was Ruby trying to get on good terms with the rich girl attending Beacon and hoping that it'll pay off at the end? The sliver of happiness Weiss had was already drowned out by suspicion and distrust. And the two of them could see it on the heiress's face, too. "..." No. Weiss couldn't let that happen. She had no way of knowing if Ruby will just leech off what little of her family name she had left or not. Her father was a big enough parasite as it is.

Weiss brought her hand back down, instead using it to bring herself the rest of the way back onto her feet, much to Ruby's disappointment. "I'll consider the offer," the heiress finally answered, moving to get her luggage back the way it was before Ruby fell on top of it all. "But right now, I have my doubts you're being sincere at the moment. However, I'm willing to overlook your physical altercation as the result of our misunderstanding." Once she finally got all the luggage in order, she looked to the two girls. "Ruby, Blake. It's been a pleasure." She then walked away, pulling the luggage cart with her.

Ruby watched as Weiss left the scene, having already lowered her hand back down to her side. "Well, this is one hell of a first day so far," she remarked. She sounded chipper, but she was neither pleased nor disappointed. She just felt the need to make an observation. She turned her head to look at Blake. "Thanks for your..." And yet Blake was nowhere to be seen. "Help...?" Ruby could've sworn that she was there a moment ago. It's like she completely vanished. Did Ruby scare her off? She felt like she did, yet Blake _did_ back her up just now. Alas, Ruby was alone again.

"Welcome to Beacon..." she thought aloud, before sighing.

"Are you alright?" asked a new voice.

Ruby looked over to see... Vomit Boy! He brought his hand forward to the silver-eyed girl, smiling. "I'm Jaune."

Right. Jaune was his name, not Vomit Boy. Good to know. Smiling back, Ruby reached out to shake hands with the blond student. "Ruby," she tersely replied. She looked Jaune over, and as she did, she couldn't help but snicker. She was totally going to shoot herself in the foot for asking this, but she needed to address something: "Aren't you the guy that threw up on the ship?"

* * *

The two of them ended up taking a walk together. This allowed them to get to know each other more, all while exploring the different areas of Beacon and what it offered.

"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is more common than people realize!" Jaune argued.

Ruby grinned out of amusement, even trying to keep herself from laughing about how he was **still** being defensive about what happened on the airship. "No, I get it! It's just that Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind."

"Oh, really?" Jaune retorted. "In that case, why don't I start calling you Schnee Puncher?"

Seriously!? "Hey, she was being really rude and I had to assert myself!" Ruby explained. "I just got here, and the last thing I need is to be considered a doormat on the first day."

That's... fair enough. Jaune couldn't really argue against that either, seeing as how the first impression he gave was that he... Never mind. Moving on. "Well, the name's Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it!"

Ruby looked at Jaune with visible skepticism and smirking. "Do they?"

Uh oh. Was Jaune being overconfident? He had to make a recovery. "Do... you?" he asked, eyebrow raised. What a riveting retort, Jaune.

Despite the weak response, it got a giggle out of Ruby. "Nice save," she replied. "Well, my name isn't anything special. It's just Ruby Rose."

Wait a minute. "Wait, Rose? As in, Summer Rose? You're related to her?"

Ruby sighed. Oh boy, here we go again. She can't complain, since it felt nice to be at least a little famous, but she was hoping to forge her own path at Beacon instead of living up to her mom's legacy. "Yeah. I'm..."–She wanted to graduate as Ruby Rose, the aspiring Huntress. Not as...–"Summer's daughter."

Jaune was stoked now. "You're her daughter!?" he echoed. "That's amazing! I can't believe I get to attend Beacon with a Rose!"

Yeah, yeah. Ruby just kept smiling, but on the inside, she was being reminded of something she was trying to ignore. Still, Jaune seemed nice enough, and he didn't seem to know any better, so she let him gush about it for now.

"So what's your mom like?" Jaune asked. "Outside of kicking butt and taking names, that is."

And this... This was the part she was hoping to avoid thinking about. "Well..." Ruby started, her smile faltering. "I can't say I know for certain. She died before I really got to know her."

And just like that, Jaune's smile and enthusiasm went away. "Oh..." In fact, he felt bad for prying that far into Ruby's personal life. "I'm really sorry for bringing it up..."

Ruby shook her head a little at the apology. "It's fine... You didn't know." And it would be unreasonable to assume he would know. Her family are the only ones who know that, one day, she left for a mission and never came back. And because of how long it's been, it was safe to assume she passed away while on that mission. She didn't want to let the awkward silence hang in the air for too long. She had to say _something_ to move on to a different topic.

"Sooo..." she began, her mind trying to come up with something else to talk about apart from her mom and the Rose family name altogether. And she ended up going with the first thing that popped into her head. "What's your weapon like?" she asked, pointing to the sword in its scabbard that Jaune had.

Jaune glanced down to his hip. "Oh! Well, um..." he then took a moment to unsheathe the blade. "It's nothing special. It's just a sword. But the cool part about it is this!" He then brought up the scabbard and raised his arm up, just in time for the other half of Crocea Mors to expand into a shield.

"Ooohh~!" Ruby was intrigued. She reached a hand forward to feel the shield, even gently knocking on it. From what she can tell, it was made of traditional steel. It wasn't anything fancy like the material used to create Crescent Rose. And the emblem on it was pretty minimalistic. "So do they do anything else?"

"Well..." Jaune began. "What you see is what you get. The scabbard doubles as a shield and... that's about it, really." He retracts the shield back into scabbard form and takes it off his arm, before placing it back on his belt. "It's actually a hand-me-down from my great-great-grandfather. He used it to fight in the Great War."

Simple... yet effective. And if it was made that far back, that would explain the material. Ruby smiled to Jaune. "I like it! It's a bit boring for my tastes, but it's the most practical thing I've seen since I got here. And there's nothing wrong with the classics, either!"

Jaune put his sword away, sheepishly smiling back. "Heh, yeah. The classics." But what exactly _were_ Ruby's tastes in weapons, anyway? "What about you? What's your weapon like?"

All it took was for Jaune to ask that question to make Ruby beam. She reached behind her to grab Crescent Rose. "Behold!" Without missing a beat, she brought it out and let it fully unfold into its scythe form. For dramatic effect, she even stabbed it into the ground.

"Whoa!" Jaune recoiled away in surprise. The last thing he expected was for Ruby to pull out a weapon that was just as big as, if not bigger than, her! "That's a scythe!" he quipped.

"It sure is!" Ruby replied. "It's also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle!"

That was a mouth-full. But Jaune could at least understand what it was after hearing 'sniper rifle'. "... So it's a gun," he deduced. "Neat!"

Ruby nodded. "Thanks!" Ruby pulled Crescent Rose out of the ground and folded it back up. As she brought the weapon back where it belonged, there was something else that occurred to Ruby. They already established the whole "Vomit Boy" thing, but there was something else that had to be addressed. "... Can I ask you another question?"

Jaune shrugged his shoulders. "Go ahead."

Ruby started walking again (with Jaune following suit). "You saw me punch Weiss before, yet you still came up to me to say hi. Why's that?" Ruby wondered.

"Well, why not?" Jaune answered. "You looked pretty bummed out after the whole thing, and I figure I'd help. Plus, my mom always told me, 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.'"

Ruby smiled. She could understand that wisdom in those words. "Your mom sounds like she knows a lot about life." She then looked around... and realized she was definitely lost. "Hey, do you know where we're going?"

"Hm?" Jaune glanced over to Ruby. "Oh, I have no idea. I was just following you!" And Jaune was also lost. Great. "You'd think that there might be sign posts or something telling us where we're headed. Or maybe a few landmarks."

Ruby gave a slight laugh at that. "Yeah, I was expecting something like that too, yet here we are."

* * *

Luckily, both of them found their way back to the main plaza of the academy. In the process, they found where they were supposed to go. They noticed the other students that were walking towards a single point, an auditorium, and simply followed. Ruby and Jaune ended up being one of the last people to arrive, but they ultimately made it.

Yang had patiently been waiting for her sister to get here. And when she did, the blonde pugilist became visibly excited. "Ruby! Over here!" she called out, waving one of her hands to get her sister's attention. "I saved you a spot!"

Ruby perked up when she heard Yang's voice. And after a brief glance in her older sister's direction, Ruby looked back over to Jaune. "I'll see you after the opening ceremony. And thanks for helping us find our way back!"

"Oh! Uh, no problem," Jaune replied, watching as Ruby already turned to leave. Well, this was good! It was the first day, and he just became friends with a nice, quirky girl. He was pleased with this development! However, he failed to take notice of a certain red-head that was eying him curiously.

Yang brought an arm around Ruby once the two of them were reunited. "How's your first day going, sis?"

Ruby sighed. "You mean since you ditched me and I exploded?" she asked with a deadpan tone.

Yang winced a little at that. "Yikes. Meltdown already?" This didn't sound very good at all.

"Well-" Ruby's explanation stopped on a dime as she took the time to go over the events of what happened in her head. The tripping, the arguing, the violence... and then meeting Blake and Jaune. "... I mean, it wasn't **that** bad. I actually made a friend or two before I got here."

"Oh, cool!" It was good that Ruby took Yang's earlier advice! But Yang realized there was still the bad news. "So what's the problem?"

Ruby huffed. "Okay. I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage, and she turned out to be Weiss Schnee."

"Wait, the SDC Heiress?" Yang asked, eyebrow raised. "Are you yanking my chain?"

"No, I'm being serious!" Ruby exclaimed. "Then she started yelling at me. She called me a cow, started treating me like an idiot, and I just got really, **really** angry to the point where I punched her right in the face so she'd finally shut the f—"

"HEY!"

"AHHH!" The sudden yelling from behind caused Ruby to jump and snap around to face whoever startled her, even raising her hands up out of reflex. When she realized whose voice it was, she brought her arms down and stomped her foot in frustration. "What is wrong with you!? I could've decked you again!"

Yang's eyes widened in surprise, but her voice was deadpan: "Oh my gods, you really punched a Schnee." The blonde then sighed. "Look, I can tell you two just got off on the wrong foot. Why don't we just start things over and reintroduce each other? I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister!"

"Charmed," Weiss dismissively replied, her eyes still focused on Ruby. "Now, I was _going_ to apologize for what happened earlier, but I can see you think very little of me. So I don't think you even deserve an apology at this point!"

Ruby would not back down now of all times. "Well, can you blame me? You not only called me brain-dead and a dolt, but you belittled me because of how big my breasts are!"

Weiss brought a finger up defensively. "I didn't insult you by calling you brain-dead, I was genuinely asking you if you were! You also nearly caused damage to **my** things and punched **me** in the nose, so as far as I'm concerned, you're even further in the wrong than I am!"

Yang could tell that she was swimming against the tide, but she still had to put a stop to this. "Girls..."

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Ruby and Weiss simultaneously barked.

But just before their argument could continue any further, the auditorium was filled with momentary microphone feedback. Ozpin was on stage setting up a microphone, and Glynda was standing beside him. "I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills..."

For Ruby, there was more at stake than knowledge on how to fight better. Sure, this was where the cream of the crop went to become the best of the best, just like her parents did. But they didn't attend Beacon with the sole reason involving knowledge, either.

"... And when you have finished, you will dedicate your life to the protection of people."

_That's the idea,_ Ruby thought to herself, internally following along Ozpin's speech.

"But I look among you and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose. Direction."

Ruby squinted her eyes a little. And very faintly, without a sound, all she could respond with past her own confusion was a simple, "What...?" Was that meant for everyone else? Or did that include her?

"You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Ruby watched as Ozpin walked away after concluding his speech with something... very vague. It only confused Ruby further. The first step towards what? To becoming a Huntress?

Glynda stepped forward to address the rest of the students. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, you initiation begins. You are dismissed." Then Glynda left as well.

Even Yang thought this whole speech was a bit unusual. "He seemed... off."

Weiss was puzzled, as were the other students in the auditorium. What was the point of that speech? He could've given everyone a warm welcome, and maybe go on about how important everyone was to future generations in order to give everyone the encouragement to succeed. And a lot of what Ozpin said was...

"I don't think I heard a speech that hollow before. There wasn't any soul or any real conviction behind his words."

Hollow! Ozpin's words were hollow. Mentally, Weiss was about to pat herself on the back for that observation. But then she realized who it was that actually made that comment. Her ice-blue gaze went over to Ruby, somewhat surprised. That was an unusually sage comment for a ditzy bimbo to say. Then another realization hit her: Did Yang say that she was Ruby's **older** sister? She quietly glanced between the two of them. Yang must've been seventeen, maybe sixteen at the youngest? That was the usual age range for people attending Beacon and the other main academies in the four Kingdoms. And with that in mind, Ruby... definitely looked younger than that. "... Hey, Ruby."

The silver-eyed girl couldn't help but glance over curiously, and even Yang's attention was drawn to Weiss as well. The heiress's tone was... calm, for someone who's so far proven to enjoy verbally attacking people. "Yes?"

"Your... sister, was it?" Weiss asked, glancing over to Yang, who nodded in response. "She mentioned that she was the older of you two. How much younger are you?"

"We were born two years apart," Ruby replied. "In fact, I turned fifteen last Halloween!"

Weiss went from surprise to outward shock. The information was concise, yet the weight behind that response it was a lot to take in. Ruby was **fifteen**? And she was attending a school like this? Naturally, her eyes fell a bit below Ruby's neck. She felt similar emotions that Glynda did when she and Ruby first met. The only difference was that Weiss didn't misconstrue the sight of them as some kind of challenge of authority. Instead, the heiress was simply dumbfounded that they were bigger than her older sibling's. And while Weiss didn't want to admit it to herself... she was a little jealous.

Of all the thoughts that ran through Weiss's mind, she only brought one of them to light as she crossed her arms: "... You skipped a couple grades." she pointed out. "How does a clumsy short stack like you skip ahead and get into Beacon? Do you know the Headmaster somehow?"

Ruby gave a somewhat friendly smile. Rather than cling to first impressions, it looks like Weiss was attempting to get to know Ruby better. Now they were getting somewhere!

"Kind of," Ruby answered. "It was actually Professor Goodwitch who took notice of me. I was fighting Matchstick the other night and—"

"Matchstick?" Weiss interjected, raising an eyebrow.

It wasn't until Weiss pointed that slip of the tongue that Ruby noticed she made it. "Oh! Sorry, force of habit. I meant to say Torchwick. Basically, a Dust shop was—"

"Wait a minute, don't just move on after dropping a name like that!" Weiss exclaimed. "You're telling me you got into Beacon because you had a run-in with a master criminal that's so elusive that even full-fledged, licensed Huntsmen have a hard time dealing with him, and you not only survived against him, but **you** were the one that stopped him during the other night's robbery?"

"Yes!" Ruby responded. She wasn't a prideful person, but after seeing Weiss's astonishment, she couldn't help but be impressed by her own achievement. "Just one small thing: it wasn't a single run-in. I actually fought him in Vale plenty of times before I met Professor Goodwitch."

Ruby fought Torchwick... multiple times? Weiss squinted her eyes. "You're lying," she snapped back. It explained why Ruby went as far as giving Roman Torchwick a nickname, but a large part of the heiress didn't have it in her to believe what she was just told.

As for Ruby? Rather than try to convince Weiss otherwise, she just shrugged her shoulders. "Then I guess you'll just have to see how good of a fighter I am during the initiation. Maybe then you'll believe me."

And now Ruby was inviting Weiss to call her bluff. Weiss didn't really have much else to respond with. Instead, she just turned around and marched away.

Ruby and Yang looked on as she left, and the former of the two was intrigued. "Huh. You know, that's the nicest she's ever been to me so far," she commented.

Yang smiled down to Ruby. "I for one think her spoiled princess attitude is almost endearing. Do you think she's just prickly on the outside, like a cactus?"

"What, and she's soft on the inside?" Ruby asked, staring back at Yang. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Yang giggled a little, before moving on to what they were talking about earlier. "So, you mentioned that you made friends as well?"

"Well," Ruby began, "There's Blake. She didn't give me her last name, though. And we didn't really become friends so much as we did just meet each other. She was there when Weiss and I got into a fight, but left after the whole thing ended. She's pretty cool though! And she has this mysterious air about her as well."

"Ooh, a mysterious girl, huh? She does sound cool!" Yang commented, grinning. "Who else did you meet?"

There was only one other person she encountered before meeting up with Yang again. "Well, his name is Jaune. He's a bit of a dork, but he's also pretty nice. He's... also the guy who threw up on the ship earlier today."

Yang incredulously raised an eyebrow. "You met Vomit Boy?"

"Hey, I really don't think that's fair for him!" Ruby retorted. "He was airsick, that's all."

Meanwhile, as the two sisters were conversing, Blake had been listening to their conversation the entire time, opting to lie low since the commotion between Ruby and Weiss happened. Honestly, the whole thing was entertaining, and Ruby seemed friendly. It was a pleasant surprise to hear that she had enough fighting practice to go toe-to-toe with Torchwick, and that she thought Blake was cool. But... did she really deserve the compliment? She ran away from Ruby after that fight happened. Running away was also what got Blake to this point in her life, and it felt like it was all she knew what to do. She hoped that becoming a Huntress would give her the strength to confront her past, but... she wasn't sure. Blake left the auditorium, joining the other students that were also walking out.

* * *

Everyone was given sleeping bags and told to gather in the ballroom for the night. Everyone was there, picking out spots to set up for the night, hanging out with each other, or just winding down after the first day. Ruby Rose, meanwhile, was currently in pajamas and writing in her journal.

Yang's sleeping bag was next to the one her sister had already laid out and was lounging on. The blonde knelt down to sit, even turning so she could lay down and sleep on her back when she was ready. "Man, this is like one big slumber party!" she commented.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders as she kept writing. "Not sure how dad would feel about all the boys being here, though."

Yang was grinning and already ogling some of the guys that were shirtless. "Well, **I** know that I like what I'm seein'!" She then gave a gentle whistle in approval. After a few seconds of enjoying the moment, Yang's lavender eyes eventually gravitated to what Ruby was working on. "What's that you got there?"

"A letter to the gang back at Signal," Ruby replied, still focused on the right words to write. "I thought it'd be nice to keep in touch with them and let them know how things at Beacon are coming along."

As adorable as this was, Yang also realized how her sister must've felt earlier. Being away from Signal, having only Yang to depend on... "You must really miss them, huh?" Yang asked.

"Yeah," Ruby replied softly. She finally felt calm now that she was taking the time to write something. Between stressing out about how she would live her life here and butting heads with Weiss, the day has been more turbulent than what she was used to. This was the first time since touching down at Beacon she got to relax. "That and writing this letter is helping me calm down."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Calm down? Shouldn't you be excited to be here?"

Ruby finally glanced away from her journal to look at her sister. "Of course I am, but... this place is just so different from Signal. The way things work, the people... I just feel out of my element without my old friends being there for me."

Yang could see where Ruby was coming from. But there had to be some good news, right? "You have Jaune and Blake, don't you? They're your friends, right?"

The two of them were there for Ruby when she ended up getting into a fight with Weiss. Despite this, the situation was a bit more complicated than what she told Yang before. "Well, Blake and I barely talked. And while Jaune's definitely a nice guy so far, I've also made enemies with Weiss. I've pretty much zero-summed."

Yang frowned after hearing her sister say that. She moved to lie down on her side and fully face Ruby. "You shouldn't look at it like that, Ruby. You made a friend and you made an enemy. You can't please everyone, and that doesn't mean it's the end of the world. Besides, it's only been the first day. You've got plenty of time to try and make it up to Weiss, and you've got way more potential friends all around you! You just need to meet them."

Ruby couldn't help but smirk, remembering what Jaune told her earlier. "'Friends are just strangers you haven't met yet.' Right."

"Yeah, exactly! That's a good way to look at it!" Yang replied.

The two of them had their attention drawn to the sound of a match being lit. They looked over to see Blake lighting a candle, waving the match to put out its flame, and opening up a book to read.

Ruby knew who this was. "It's her..."

Yang glanced over to her sister. "You mean Blake?" she asked.

Neither of them noticed it, but the bow Blake wore twitched a bit when her name was said. She kept her gaze on her book and simply listened.

Ruby smiled. "Yeah." The same girl who helped stand up to Weiss.

In Yang's eyes, she was cute. And she seemed mysterious, just like her sister mentioned. Ruby and Blake could totally become the best of friends! "Well, why don't you go talk to her?" Yang suggested. "You said you didn't get the chance to know her better, so now seems like a better time than any. You can even move your sleeping bag over to where she's at and spend time with her!"

Ruby looked over to Yang, a bit surprised. "Are you sure?" the silver-eyed girl asked. "I though we were gonna sleep next to each other for tonight?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Yang answered, grinning. "We're all gonna be here for a while, so it's be a good idea to make more friends now while you still can."

That was a good point. One night of being away from Yang wouldn't kill Ruby. And besides, if Beacon still did teams like when her family and relatives attended the academy, then it's entirely possible that Blake could be on the same team as Ruby. So, Ruby should try to make friends with Blake while she still had the chance.

The silver-eyed girl smiled "Thanks, Yang." If it weren't for her sister also being at Beacon, she wouldn't have the courage needed to tackle things head on. There was the part where Yang left Ruby behind, though. But in the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter. She was just thankful that her sister was supporting her.

"Hey, no problem!" Yang replied. "You've got this."

Ruby gave a nod in return, thankful for the encouragement. She moved to roll up her sleeping bag. Afterwards, she picked it up in one arm and made her way over to Blake.

The Faunus could hear Ruby's footsteps as she got closer, sleeping bag in hand. She just pretended that she didn't overhear what the younger girl was up to and continued reading.

"Hi again, Blake," Ruby greeted, speaking softly. "Mind if I sleep with you tonight?"

Blake lowered her book slightly as her amber eyes stared up at Ruby, silent and with an eyebrow raised.

... That was actually a poor choice of words, wasn't it? Ruby brought her free hand up to rub the back of her neck sheepishly. "Sorry. That uh... That came out wrong..."

Blake then smiled. "It's okay, Ruby. I know what you meant. Sure, I'd be fine with that, so long as you don't make too much noise." Blake's eyes then glanced back down to the book she was still reading.

Speaking of... Ruby glanced over at the cover of the book Blake held in her hands. "... 'The Man With Two Souls'?" she read aloud. "I think I remember hearing about that story. Is it any good?"

Blake perked up a little. She didn't expect anyone in this academy, let alone someone like Ruby, to be into books. "Uh... y-yeah, from what I've read so far. You know, I never took you to be the bookworm type. No offense."

Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "None taken." After all, it didn't help that people's first impression of her was that she's a Schnee puncher. And that she was clumsy. "I'm just full of surprises, I guess," Ruby added, getting to work on unrolling her sleeping bag.

Blake gave the silver-eyed girl a warm smile. "Clearly. I will say, it takes a lot of courage to stand up to someone, especially someone like Weiss. Sorry I ran, by the way. I'm... shy around new people." She felt it was a more polite and socially acceptable way of calling herself a coward.

Now it was Ruby's turn to be surprised. "You are?" she asked, sitting down on the sleeping bag she just prepared. "You could've fooled me. You seem pretty sociable right now for someone who's shy."

"Well..." As true as that was, the reason Blake was okay with Ruby now was because she heard what the silver-eyed girl's intentions were. Ruby wasn't saying anything bad about Blake behind her back. In fact, she was saying quite the opposite back at the auditorium. Ruby was friendly, and it was easy to tell that she was kindhearted. "... I like you. I can tell that you're a good person with a lot of heart."

Ruby couldn't help but smile brightly at that, finding the observation quite touching. "Thank you, Blake. You're pretty cool too."

There was that comment again. At least Blake knew she was being genuine. She could also tell that she was going to have to save what she was reading for another time. She closed the book and set it aside, before giving Ruby her undivided attention. "So, you like books?" she asked, smiling again.

"Love them!" Ruby cheerfully replied. "I still remember all the books my sister used to read to me as a kid. They were always about heroes fighting monsters. It's actually one of the reasons I want to become a Huntress. Even as far back as when I was little, I wanted to be like the heroes in those books. I wanted to be someone who fought for what was right in the world and help people who wouldn't be able to help themselves."

The Faunus was mildly surprised by this. "That's pretty ambitious for a child." Blake then frowned, letting out a faint sigh. "But it's a shame that real life isn't that easy, and the world isn't nearly as black-and-white."

Ruby nodded. "I know. Becoming a Huntress won't be easy either. But the challenges ahead are there to prepare us for that hardship, and it's what makes becoming a Huntress worth it. And besides, someone has to shoulder that kind of responsibility so nobody else has to," she explained, before moving to lie down on the sleeping bag.

That was an oddly poignant way of looking at things, especially for a grade-skipper. But Blake knew that there was more to it than wanting to live out fairy tales. "So what are the other reasons you wanted to become a Huntress? It can't just be because of books you were read to as a child."

Ruby just looked up at the ceiling in thought. "... My whole family either used to be, currently are, or are working towards becoming Huntsmen and Huntresses. My sister, my dad, my uncle... my mom..." Man, this was the second time Summer was brought up. Ruby felt a twinge of pain in her heart, but did her best to keep going. "... I just feel like it made sense to become one. Almost like an unspoken obligation. Like it's **destiny!** I definitely want to become a Huntress. And nothing in the world is going to convince me otherwise, especially since I made it as far as getting into Beacon, just like my parents did."

Blake had a feeling that there was another half of the coin Ruby was going to mention. "But...?"

Ruby sighed. "... But sometimes, it just feels like I'm living up to my mom's legacy rather than carving out my own. In fact, as soon as I introduced myself to someone else here, he started treating me like a celebrity just because my last name was 'Rose.' But I don't want that kind of treatment. I want people to know me as Ruby Rose, the Huntress. Not the daughter of Summer Rose following in her mom's footsteps."

Blake couldn't help but feel as though she could relate to Ruby in that regard. "... Ruby," she began. "I can't say I know exactly what that's like, but I know I've felt something similar. About being tied to a family name to where I don't feel like I'm my own person. I guess you could say I chose to attend Beacon so I can get away from that." Not just from her family, but from the White Fang.

Ruby felt curious about the aforementioned "family name" Blake brought up. "... What's the name?" she asked innocently, her silver eyes glancing over to the Faunus.

Should Blake divulge that information? What if Ruby reacted negatively to it?... Wait, what was Blake even thinking? Ruby trusted Blake enough to open up to her. It wouldn't be fair if Blake didn't do the same. "... Belladonna."

Belladonna?... It sounded familiar but... No, it didn't seem to ring any bells. Ruby did smile at the mention of it, however. "Hmm. "Blake Belladonna." That's a pretty name."

Blake couldn't help but smile at that. "So is 'Ruby Rose.'" There was a pause before she continued. "You mentioned you had a sister earlier. What's her name?" She was aware of who it was, of course. She just wanted to give the impression that she wasn't spying on Ruby earlier today.

"Yang Xiao-Long," Ruby replied, looking back up at the ceiling again, smiling. "She's actually my half-sister on my dad's side."

"Uh-huh. Is she the one who's been staring at us the whole time?" Blake asked.

Ruby blinked, then she moved her arms back so she could prop herself up. She brought her head up, and sure enough, Yang didn't even try to hide the fact she was watching them. At most, she attempted to play it off, her lilac eyes locking with Ruby's silvers as she gave a thumbs up, beaming with pride at the fact that her baby sister was making another friend!

Ruby sighed and let herself fall back down to her sleeping bag. "And she calls **me** a dork..."

Blake just smirked seeing Ruby's reaction. Blake looked over to Yang and waved to her, getting one in return. The Faunus grabbed the candle she lit earlier, brought it up to herself, and blew out the flame.


	3. The First Step Into The Emerald Forest

Thanks to Ruby's internal clock, she was already awake. She didn't move to get up, but turned her body to rest on her back. She stared up at the incredibly tall ceiling of the ballroom and silently reflected on yesterday's events. It was crazy how she jumped ahead a year or two in order to attend Beacon. She couldn't believe it, but this was where she was. Ruby also remembered everything that happened since touching down at Beacon, with the biggest event being what happened with her and Weiss. Maybe it's because she was still waking up, but it didn't bother her as much as it did last night. Especially since there were also the good parts that happened, like her meeting Jaune and Blake for the first time. And speaking of, Ruby turned her head to look over to where her new friend was at and...

Huh? Ruby's initial confusion turned to curiosity as she sat up. She looked around the room for any sign of Blake. She saw that everyone else was still sleeping, including Weiss and Yang. But there was no Blake.

_I guess she's an early riser,_ Ruby thought to herself. Realizing that she might run into Blake later, perhaps even during initiation, Ruby mentally shrugged at her initial thought and stood up from where she was lying down. After raising her arms up to stretch her entire body, doing her best not to make too much noise, she got to work on getting herself ready for a new day.

* * *

"Morning, Yang!" Ruby greeted, walking into one of the school's locker rooms to meet up with her sister.

"Hey there, sis!” Yang greeted back. “You seem awful chipper this morning!"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Ruby began. "Today's the day where I finally get to prove myself! To me, to Professor Ozpin..."

Yang crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, even smirking. "To Weiss?" The blonde definitely remembered the spat the two of them had when everyone was at the auditorium.

"To everyone, really!" Ruby answered, taking Yang's comment in stride. "I skipped ahead two years to be here, and I owe it to Professor Ozpin to do my absolute best. I don't want to let him, you, or everyone else in our family down." And wherever her mom was, Ruby wanted to know that she'd be doing her proud as well.

"And I'm proud of you for getting this far!" Yang replied. She was leading up to something after saying that. However, as soon as it was time to say the words, she felt... nervous. This lead to an unintended pause, and she reached around to bring her golden locks over her shoulder, gently stroking it. "But..."

Ruby rarely ever saw that old habit surface. Seeing it show up now of all times meant that the other shoe was about to drop like a bag of cement. "Yang? What are you trying to say?" she asked with a frown.

"I just..." Yang finally spoke up, bringing her hair back behind her. "I just think you're putting too much pressure on yourself to succeed. I know you've wanted to be a Huntress all your life, but if you don't succeed with initiation, then it won't be the end of the world. You'll just go back to training at Signal until you're old enough to attend normally."

Ruby didn't even realize she was putting any kind of pressure on herself until Yang took the time to point it out. She gave what her sister said some thought as well. Ruby would just go back to Signal and everything will work out just fine, right? That felt like what Yang was telling her. And if it was, there was one small problem: she's already too far into this to fail. It wasn't an option.

"Well, in that case, I'll just have to pass the initiation, above all else," Ruby retorted as she turned to her locker to retrieve Crescent Rose.

Yang slowly nodded. Her sister had more than set her mind to attending Beacon, even though she's fifteen. For someone so young, she had a lot of determination. It was one reason why she loved her sister so much. "And I hope you do. But just keep in mind that even if you don't pass, I won't think any less of you. You're my baby sister, and no matter what happens, I'll always love you for who you are. More than any—"

"OH, I GOT IT!"

Everyone in earshot, including Ruby and Yang, had their attention drawn to the energetic and upbeat ginger interacting with someone who was stoic by comparison. "It'll be a secret signal, one that'll help us find each other in the forest!"

Ruby actually realized what they were talking about. It was announced earlier that the initiation was taking place within the Emerald Forest. Plus, her Uncle Qrow told her what team selection is like at Beacon, and the fact the Emerald Forest was brought up at all means that nothing's changed from when he attended this academy.

The ginger kept going. "How about a sloth? You're good at imitating sloths, right, Ren?"

"Nora?" Ren holstered the dual pistols he retrieved from his locker as he looked over to his friend. "I don't think sloths make a lot of noise."

"Exactly!" Nora exclaimed. "It's genius! Nobody will suspect we're working together! But not like... **together,** together..." Of course, their plan to keep their companionship a secret would've worked if the now-giggly Nora had blurted nothing out in the beginning.

But Ren would not spoil her fun. "Come on, Nora," he told his friend, smiling a little. "Let's go." And with that, the two of them left the locker room.

Among the other spectators of their conversation were Pyrrha and Weiss, the former of which took the time to speak up. "Gee. I wonder what those two are up to," she playfully commented.

"Who knows," Weiss replied, cracking a smile. "So! Have you figured out whose team you'd like to be on? I'm sure anyone who'd have you would be in capable hands." Weiss was doing her best to schmooze Pyrrha without it being too obvious that she was trying to get on the spartan's good side.

Pyrrha, not really thinking anything of Weiss's social tactics, pondered the question. "Hmm... I'm uncertain. I was going to let the dice fall where they may. I take it you're hoping we'd be on the same team together?"

"Yes! Exactly!" Weiss exclaimed. "I'm not sure who else we'd end up with, but I definitely know you and I would make a superb duo."

Pyrrha smiled at the idea. "Well, assuming we get to be on the same team together, that'd be delightful!"

"Excellent!" And why wouldn't it be? After all, it was the strongest girl at the academy with the smartest. With her brains and Pyrrha's brawn, they'd be a force to be reckoned with. And that's not even considering how much of Pyrrha's clout might rub off onto Weiss as they spend time together. She was pretty much set for the next four years!

"You know what else is excellent?"

Weiss curiously looked over to the source of the masculine voice that was trying too hard to sound sultry. It was none other than...

"Me, Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you."

Well, from the introduction to that cocky smile of his, Weiss could tell that Jaune was at least confident. Apart from that, he doesn't have a lot going for him.

"A pleasure to meet you, Jaune," she replied, even giving him one of her award-winning fake smiles just to be nice. "Is there something we can help you with?"

"Actually, I'm here to see what **I** can help **you** with," he answered. "I couldn't help but overhear you two talking about teams just now."

Pyrrha looked to Jaune with a smile. "Yes, we were just talking about forming one together."

"Right, which means you'll need two more people for the whole squad," Jaune pointed out. "As it just so happens, I was thinking of forming my own, and there's two spots with both your names on them if you're interested."

Weiss frowned at the attempt. Both girls were so out of this guy's league, especially Pyrrha. It was obvious! Weiss motioned over to the spartan in question. "Jaune, do you have any idea who she is?" She asked.

Jaune's confident expression went away as he took a moment to look at Pyrrha. “She seems oddly familiar, so... maybe?” he answered.

"Then lets pretend you don't for the sake of argument,” Weiss replied. “ **She** is Pyrrha Nikos. She graduated top of her class at Sanctum."

At the mention of Sanctum, he shook his head. "Don't know what that is. I assume it's another combat school?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Yes, and it's in Argus. I was born and raised there."

Jaune smiled to Pyrrha, much more candidly than he did earlier. "Oh, cool! I actually have a sister who lives there,” he mentioned. “I've pretty much lived on the farms in the southern part of Vale all my life. I'm surprised I didn't pick up an accent." His smile grew into a light grin after that last part got an amused giggle out of Pyrrha.

Weiss thought this was cute and all, but she still had a point to make. "She's also been the champion of the Mistral Region Tournaments for four years straight!" If she sounded aggravated, it was because she was getting to that point.

"Oh wow, that's amazing!” Jaune commented. “I'm surprised you aren't attending Haven."

Pyrrha shrugged her shoulders. "You would think. But I was invited to attend Beacon by the Headmaster himself."

"Yeah, I can understand why!" Jaune replied. And after a pause, it finally dawned on him he was talking to **that** Pyrrha Nikos. "Oh!" He slapped his palm against his forehead for a moment, before gesturing to the spartan with both hands. "You're the Pumpkin Pete's cereal girl! Right! Man, I can't believe how oblivious I am today."

Pyrrha smiled. "It's fine, Jaune. But, yes. It was pretty cool when I first got that brand deal. Though, looking back, I kinda wish I wasn't the face for a cereal that admittedly isn't very good for you..."

Well, it took long enough for Jaune to realize who the spartan was. "Regardless," she interjected, "now that you know who Pyrrha is, do you really think you're in a position to ask **her** to be on your team?"

Jaune looked back over to Pyrrha (who smiled to him again) as he considered Weiss's words. "Well... yeah, actually," he answered. "Even if she is a celebrity, I still wanted to try. She's also really nice! And besides, you miss a hundred percent of the shots you don't take, right?"

'Even if she's a celebrity?' If she were any other person, Pyrrha might find Jaune's blatant disregard for her fame to be hurtful. But she wasn't nearly that petty. In fact, meeting someone who didn't hold her up on a pedestal was very refreshing. More so than it had any right to be, sadly.

Pyrrha took a step closer to the blond knight. "Well, Jaune, I feel you'd make a great leader. I would be happy to join your team." She then looked to Weiss somewhat expectantly before Jaune did the same.

"What about you?” he asked, smiling. “Wanna tag along?"

Well that... definitely backfired. It was supposed to be Weiss and Pyrrha, not Weiss, Pyrrha and the blond, scraggly country bumpkin. It was miraculous that Weiss could even keep her composure after her plan fell apart like a house of cards, even if this was only a minor inconvenience.

"... Your offer is tempting, Jaune,” Weiss responded. “I don't have an answer right now, but I... should have one very soon!"

The voice of Glynda Goodwitch filled the locker room via the academy's intercom system. "Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately." Looks like that was everyone's cue to get moving.

"It was nice meeting you, Weiss!" Pyrrha cheerfully stated, before she walked away with Jaune.

Weiss gave a wave goodbye to Pyrrha. "Likewise." And once the spartan looked away, the heiress just frowned and lowered her head in disappointment. And what was a lowered head then became her leaning against a locker. She didn't bother fighting against gravity as it pulled her down until her she reached the ground. Well, this was just great. On top of being humiliated yesterday, her attempts to partner up with someone who was competent failed. Instead, she ended up playing matchmaker by complete accident. Now what was she going to do?

"Having trouble finding a team?"

Weiss looked up to see that it was Yang!... And Ruby. Ugh. The heiress said nothing, and just crossed her arms together while looking away. “What do you two want?”

It didn't take a genius to understand what the crossed arms, the sour face, and the attitude were for. Ruby knelt down and tried to lift the girl's spirits. "Weiss... I know we both had our differences, but if you can't find anyone else to team up with, Yang and I will let you be a part of it."

Weiss hardly moved and simply let out a sigh. On the inside, however, she was a little surprised. This was actually nice of the two of them to do. And Ruby being the one to extend the invitation said a lot about her. Weiss's defiant flame was flickering, getting smaller, and... gone. "Fine. But only because I see no other alternative."

Ruby and Yang smiled to each other once Weiss finally came around. The blonde then reached down to pick the heiress up and get her back onto her feet. "Alright. Lets go."

Weiss didn't really have it in her to fight back, and instead just walked with the two of them as she was being supported. After taking a couple steps, Weiss realized she was still missing something. "Wait, I didn't have time to get my weapon from my locker!" She pointed over to it, but apart from that, she didn't move off of Yang.

"I got it!" Ruby declared, quickly making her way over to the locker that was pointed out. She opened it with no problems and found what Weiss knew as Myrtenaster. The silver-eyed girl picked it up and started walking back to Weiss, gingerly holding it by the handle with one hand and letting the blade rest on the other. She couldn't help but also look it over some. "Huh. You know, I never got to look at a MADR up close before."

"Huh?" Somewhat surprised, Weiss finally got off of Yang and turned to face Ruby. This was another side she didn't expect this dolt to have, and her curiosity compelled her to keep quiet and see what was going to happen next.

Ruby looked the weapon over, turning it a little with the twist of her wrist. She noted the Dust vials that were loaded into it, taking in the different colors. Looks like Weiss had something for every occasion. And if memory served, the key feature of a MADR, and the sole reason a weapon like this exists, is if it was made of a material that can conduct Aura, known as Aurite. After all, it was what allowed Dust to work in tandem with a weapon like this.

Ruby lifted Myrtenaster up from her other hand until she was holding it vertically. Her gaze was focused on the weapon. Ruby took a moment to attune her Aura to it and...

... Aha! That was it! A bit of her rose-red Aura manifested along the weapon itself in the blink of an eye. Ruby's Aura only became visible again when she drew it back into herself. It was a bit surprising for Ruby, if the look on her face said anything to that effect. But shock and awe hurriedly went offstage just in time for the enthusiasm of her inner weapon-nut to come out.

"Gotta hand it to you, Weiss. You've got some great tastes," she commented cheerfully, before finally handing Myrtenaster over to its owner.

Hesitantly, Weiss reached forward and took her weapon by the handle. "Oh, um. Thank you." She wasn't aware Ruby had a taste in weapons at all. Or could even generate an Aura! She looked over at Yang with a question in mind. "Is your sister some kind of weapon enthusiast?"

Yang had a happy grin on her face as Weiss brought that up. "Oh, definitely! My sister's a total nerd for weapons. You should've seen her ogling everybody else's when we first got here." She reached a hand over and brought it to Weiss's upper back. "Now come on. We don't want to be late for initiation."

Yang and Weiss were the first to walk, right before Ruby did the same.

* * *

The edge of the cliff was rather quiet. The weather outside was sunny, the wind was calm... it reminded Ruby of Patch. And there was something tranquil about the dense stretch of forest that, even though she was standing near the edge of the cliff, seemed endless. Ruby definitely liked this locale. She could see herself stopping by here from time to time. It was like she was the only living thing that existed here. Nothing else. No anger, sadness, happiness... not even her future. The only thing that was here... was her.

"For years, you've trained to become warriors."

Ruby's focus came back to her as soon as the talking started. She also remembered that it wasn't just her, but also Ozpin and Glynda, plus the students she was lined up between.

"And today, we'll be evaluating just how far your training will take you in the Emerald Forest."

Yang had similar ambitions as her younger sister. She wanted to become a Huntress in order to help people in need. However, instead of doing it to make her family proud, Yang wanted to become a career Huntress to see all that Remnant offered. She not only had a strong wanderlust, but fighting monsters and evildoers was the best way to get her blood pumping. There were far more thrills out in the world than on the tiny island she and her sister grew up in.

"Now, some of you may already know Huntsmen and Huntresses will all be put into teams, and that each academy facilitates the assignment of those teams. However, the way it's done here will differ slightly from what you've been led to expect."

Blake was done with all the running. She'd done it long enough with her family and with the White Fang. She wanted the strength to not only confront her past, but also become a force in doing something about all the injustices in this world. The inequality between humans and Faunus. Corrupt people in positions of higher power. Blake wasn't exactly a paragon of virtue and morality herself, and she understood this. But she had never truly given up on becoming a better person or in trying to make the world a better place. And becoming a Huntress was something that would allow her to do both.

"Instead of assigning teammates to you or allowing you to talk among yourself to see who you wish to be with, you will be paired up with the first person you make eye contact with after landing in the forest."

Weiss had encountered plenty of bumps in the road both before and during her time at Beacon. She's sacrificed a lot to get here. Time, money, energy... In fact, her whole way of life was sacrificed just to make it all the way to Vale. She would not let anything get in her way now. Not after everything. She **will** become a Huntress and she **will** bring prestige back to her family name that had been sullied by her father.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest and collect a relic from the abandoned temple you will find there. The relic each pair chooses will determine who will make up a full team. But take heed; you will meet opposition that won't hesitate to kill you on sight, just as you shouldn't do the same if you want to live."

Ruby was more than ready for this. Her dreams were around the corner and all she needed to take was the first step. Four years was a long time to spend becoming her absolute best.

"When you are ready, step onto the metal plate in front of you. And good luck."

Ruby glanced down and took a couple steps forward, just as everyone else did the same. Everyone that was lined up readied themselves as they were launched one at a time, with only small pauses in-between as each catapult telegraphed their activation with several mechanical ticks. Out of everyone that was going to form the famous Team RWBY, it was Yang, then Blake, then Weiss, and finally Ruby who were launched up into the air. This was each of their figurative first steps.

* * *

Time seemed to slow down as Ruby's senses took in everything around her. The view of the Emerald Forest before was great enough on its own. But now that she was flying up in the air? She could better marvel at it. The green of the trees below her, the way the wind flowed through her hair as she soared like a bird... her sister howling with excitement as she fired off Ember Celica...

Ruby's silver eyes caught a patch of land that the forest seemed to give a wide berth. There was... some kind of structure there? Was that where they needed to go to find the relics? Here's hoping her sense of direction would help her out here. At least she knew that they had to go north.

However, she still had to land first. And she knew just the thing to do.

She activated her Semblance and became a spiral of red, flying straight up in order to kill her forward momentum. Ruby felt her whole body lose its speed as she gained altitude until she was momentarily frozen in the air like a stalling fighter jet. During this pause, she realigned herself so she'd be moving towards the structure she saw earlier, before she Petal Bursted again and began her descent.

Once she was close enough to the ground and flying forward through inertia alone, Ruby shifted out of the spiral of red and extended Crescent Rose into its war scythe form. She slammed the blade into the ground and placed her feet down on the shaft of the weapon itself. She rode the rest of her momentum as she ground to a halt, and when she did...

Ruby stood up on the shaft of Crescent Rose, gracefully perched on top of it. Her weapon had also dragged along a pile of dirt thanks to the deep cut she left in the ground during her landing. She felt a bit proud of herself, having successfully done the landing strategy's finale! She hopped off of Crescent Rose and looked behind her, towards the structure she spotted earlier. Then, she unanchored her scythe and converted it into its box form before promptly putting it away.

Ruby perked up when she heard leaves being rustled in one of the trees. And by the time she looked over to find the source of the noise, she was already watching someone familiar drop to the ground.

"... Hey," Blake greeted. "That was... a pretty impressive landing."

Ruby smiled warmly. “Thanks,” was all she needed to say.

Ruby was relieved that she got to partner up with Blake. They seemed to get along well, and they had much better chemistry between the two of them than Ruby did with Weiss. Initiation was definitely going to go smoothly now, since Ruby got to work alongside someone she trusted.

“Did you see anything while you were doing your landing strategy?” Ruby asked.

Blake looked away as she pondered the question. “I noticed a clearing to the north.” Her gaze then returned to her new partner. “Do you suppose that's where we'll find the relics?”

Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "Only one way to find out." She started walking, with Blake following suit. "So what do you think the relics look like?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Blake replied. "But it seems like something that we'll know about when we see it."

Ruby smiled. “I guess so. I'm sure Professor Ozpin would've described what we were looking for if he knew we'd have a hard time finding it.”

They said little to each other after that. They just focused on moving north while keeping guard of any threats that would show up.

* * *

“WOOHOOOO!”

Now this is what Yang was talking about! The thrill of being catapulted in the air, and even the speed at which she flew above the treeline, was giving her an adrenaline rush she's been waiting to experience since touching down. Of course, Yang understood how dangerous this was, and even how badly her Aura was going to get damaged if she didn't execute a successful landing strategy. But right now? She was having the time of her life!

The fun had to end eventually, however. Yang only had so many shells loaded in her gauntlets and stopping at any point to reload would be dicey. Plus, she planned on saving them for the Grimm that were a part of the forest.

Without firing another shot from Ember Celica, she allowed gravity to bring her down until she was no longer above the trees. The rest of her descent down involved swinging herself off of some tree branches that were in her path and leaping down from tree trunk to tree trunk. Upon reaching the ground itself, she did a forward somersault to conclude her landing. She seamlessly went from tumbling to standing, all in one fluid motion. Satisfied, she dusted herself off and started looking around.

Now let's see... Yang had to pair up with someone, and afterwards find a relic. She didn't have the slightest idea what these relics would even look like, but she at least knew that they were north. So, after orientating herself to where she figured "north" was, she got to walking.

“Hello? Hellooooo?”

It was during her walk that Yang wondered who she would pair up with. There was Ruby, of course, as she was the first person to come to mind. As an older sister (and a mother-figure, because of Summer's departure and presumed death), Yang was concerned about Ruby not being able to make it past initiation, especially at a young age. However, their earlier conversation made it clear that she was adamant about passing. On the one hand, the higher you climb, the harder you fall. But on the other? Yang could tell how much being a Huntress meant to her little sister. Maybe she should have faith in Ruby. Who knows? She may have already paired up with someone she could work well with!

Someone like Blake, maybe? The two of them seem to get along pretty well. You would think that two introverts, one self-proclaimed, would have a hard time interacting with each other. But Yang was proven wrong. Either that, or Ruby is less of an introvert than she made herself out to be. Aside from those two, there was one more person who she knew she could...

Wait, what's that noise? It sounded like... growling?

Curious, Yang quickly moved closer to the source of the noise. She lowered herself down and hid herself behind a tree. She peeked over and saw...

Yeah, that was a pack of Beowolves. They didn't notice the blonde brawler. In fact, they were focused on someone completely different, who was...

_Remember your training, Weiss. Head up, shoulders back, right foot forward..._

Was she serious right now? A bunch of Grimm were about to attack her, and she's taking her sweet time winding up for an attack? Yeah, like **that's** going to fly in a proper fight. Grimm were one thing, but people wouldn't hesitate to attack like this.

_Slow your breathing, wait for the right time to strike..._

Yang was already reloading Ember Celica (which Weiss was too focused to notice) as she got ready to swoop in and start attacking.

_NOW!_

Weiss dashed forward to deliver her first strike. However, what caught her to lose focus from her target was the sound of gunfire.

Yang fired off two simultaneous shots from Ember Celica behind herself. She flew forward and landed a sucker-punch on Weiss's exact target, striking the Beowolf's jaw and knocking it out of the way.

Because of this, Weiss was desperately trying to slow herself down, her feet repeatedly slamming against the ground as she tried to stop herself. This failed, however, and she ended up tripping to the ground.

Then she accidentally triggered her attack. A streak of fire erupted from Myrtenaster. Even worse, there weren't any targets behind the one leading the pack. So the fire that Weiss cast not only went through the pack hitting none of the Beowolves, but it instead struck one of the many trees in the forest.

But at least Yang knocked one of them out! It wasn't that bad of an opener. The blonde quickly made her way over to Weiss to regroup and even bring her back up onto her feet.

“Looks like I almost missed out on the fun!” Yang quipped just before beaming.

Weiss, however, wasn't nearly amused. In fact, she was quite cross with the Yang, and she aggressively motioned to the reason for her anger.

Yang's eyes followed to where Weiss was gesturing... and finally took notice of the fire that was accidentally created. Which was spreading pretty quickly “Oh. Whoops.”

The pack of beowolves howled among themselves, as though howling a retreat. Weiss and Yang were already backing away, one miffed and the other a little mortified, respectively.

“We should probably go...” Yang suggested.

“Oh, **now** you decide to use caution?” Weiss scoffed just before the two of them turned around and ran away from the inferno they just caused.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ruby and Blake's journey to the relics was significantly calmer. Blake's plan involved using stealth to avoid the Grimm. With Ruby's ability to Petal Burst from tree to tree, and Blake's shadow clones used a distraction when the situation called for it, the two of them made it to their destination without being noticed. It also helped that some of them started moving out of their way on their own. Who knew why?

Which brought the two of them to the clearing they discussed before. Turns out, the structure Ruby spotted were ruins of some long-forgotten temple, perhaps even an oracle of sorts. Within the ruins were pedestals that, unlike the rest of the temple, looked brand new. As were some gold and onyx objects which, from where the duo was standing, they wouldn't really be able to make out.

Luckily, Ruby had just the tool for the job. From a pouch she carried along, she pulled out a set of red binoculars. It had a box-shaped housing, but it functioned pretty well despite its apparent simplicity. Ruby brought the binoculars up and looked through them, her vision magnified enough to where she could identify the objects on the pedestals.

“What do you see?” Blake asked, her amber eyes focused on her partner.

Ruby offered her binoculars for Blake to use, looking back over to her with a smile. “Pretty sure we found the relics.”

Feeling curious, Blake took the binoculars and brought them up to her eyes. She ended up recoiling a bit out of mild surprise, seeing that these weren't just a normal pair of binoculars. It doubled as a rangefinder, with a digital readout showing the distance between where she was standing and what she was looking at—in real time! There was also another value that seemed to tick up and down based on distance. Seemed like... something that took bullet speed into account, most likely for moving targets.

“Guess you're both a sniper and your own spotter, huh?” Blake remarked, before focusing back on what she was going to look at before. And as she looked over the items on each pedestal, she realized they were...

“Chess pieces?” she wondered. “Some of them are missing, too. I guess we weren't the first one's here.” She then lowered the binoculars and handed them back to Ruby. “Do you play chess at all?”

Ruby got her binoculars back from Blake and stashed them away. Although, the question she was asked resulted in a funny look. “No, not really. I tried getting into it before, but I stopped shortly after.”

“Not a fan of strategy games?” Blake wondered.

“It's not that,” Ruby answered. “In fact, I'm actually a fan of strategy games, like Remnant: The Game.”

Okay, so Blake's first guess was wrong. Her second guess was already thrown out the mental window, as she knew that Ruby wasn't stupid. Otherwise, she wouldn't have skipped two whole years to be here.

Blake was at a loss. “So what's the issue?” she asked.

Ruby let out a soft sigh, taking a moment to think. And as she did so, she was focused on the ruins that were just a short walk away.

“... The problem with chess is that boils down to psychology,” she answered. “Plus it's too... rigid. It's less a game of actual strategy and more about... just memorizing moves.” Ruby started pacing a little as she continued. “What moves to open with, what moves your opponent will use, what moves will counter **said opponent's** moves,—” Ruby threw her arms up for a moment, “—and so on! There's nothing fun about that!”

Blake's cat ears folded a little within her bow. “That's... not entirely incorrect...”

Ruby then turned her attention to Blake again. “I'm not trying to give you a hard time for liking it. In fact, more power to you. But I just can't find any enjoyment in chess.”

Blake nodded a little. “You just prefer games that have a degree of uncertainty. I can respect that.”

“Something like that, yeah!” Ruby replied. “Plus, not every problem or fight can be solved like a chess match. And I can't imagine anyone who'd think like that, either.”

* * *

“Look, I didn't even need your help,” Weiss stated as she walked with Yang. The smoke stack that marked the sight of the Schnee's blunder was getting smaller and smaller from where they were moving. “I had everything planned out. I was going to attack the beowolf at the front by lighting it on fire. And while it was burning, I was going to maneuver around—“

“That isn't my point,” Yang argued, who's been trying to calm Weiss down the entire time. “You aren't always going to get enough time to think out your battles. You need to develop a more... fluid way of thinking. Improvising and all that.”

“And I'll cross that bridge when I get there,” Weiss shot back. “That doesn't change the fact that your intervention was completely reckless.” She then shrugged her shoulders. “But considering how your sister behaves, I **really** shouldn't be surprised.”

Yang suddenly stopped, and Weiss didn't seem to notice. Did she really just say that? She hurried along so she could catch up to Weiss, who hadn't stopped moving once.

“And what is **that** supposed to mean?” Yang asked, annoyed.

“Simple,” Weiss continued, stopping to focus on the conversation. “Your sister lacks any kind of tact. And until now, I had no idea who or where she got it from.”

“At least she knows not to get on people's nerves,” Yang retorted. “Like **someone** I know!”

Weiss gave a small, dry laugh. “Well, she could've fooled me,” she stated. “Seriously though, whose side of the family do you both get it from? Your father? Or is your mother who's just as brutish as the two of—“

The words she was about to say had completely escaped her. One moment, she was making the mistake of belittling someone who was bigger and evidently much stronger than her. The next, the back of her head had slammed into a tree. Her breathing was bottle-necked by a hand tightly gripped around her throat. And her feet didn't meet the ground anymore. Weiss was also staring into the most menacing crimson eyes she's ever seen. It had happened so fast, she was at a loss for words!

“... I'm going to make this as clear as possible, and you're going to listen.” Yang began. Her voice was calm, but the amount of rage she was holding back was undeniable. “I can easily crush your windpipe like a can of soda. But I'm not going to, since you just stepped into territory you wouldn't have known about. So I'm only going to tell you this once: **my** mom is a sore spot. **Ruby's** is also a sore spot. And if you **ever** bring **either of them** up to attack us like that again, I'll be putting you in a hospital bed. Do you understand?”

Weiss didn't have any choice but to nod, rather frantically at that. The sooner she can stop struggling to get air into her lungs and be put down, the better.

Yang closed her for a moment and took a deep breath, hiding away the crimson orbs that were practically burning themselves into Weiss's retinas. Then, as she exhaled, she opened her eyes. They had changed back to their normal violets. Yang set Weiss back down onto her feet. However, instead of just letting go of her neck and being done with it, that same hand went to one of the Schnee's shoulder, with another hand going to the other.

Yang continued to look Weiss in the eyes, this time calmer. “And eff-why-eye? You may not like my sister all that much—and I don't blame you for what happened—but she's genuinely doing her best to make up for it.” The two of them were silent for a moment. Uncomfortably so. Yang continued despite this. “The offer for you to join our team was **her** idea.”

Weiss was mildly surprised, but also saddened by this revelation. She had gotten so worked up about what happened earlier that she completely forgot about that act of kindness.

“You know what?” Weiss brought her hands up to move Yang's out of the way, and she looked the blonde in the eyes. “You're right. Once we're out of the forest, I really owe the two of you an apology. Ruby, especially.”

Yang smiled a little at that. She was glad to get through to her partner, especially since it also benefited Ruby. Looks like her little sister wasn't zero-summing like she thought she would!

Weiss reached a hand up to her neck, giving it a cursory touch. Jeez, she could feel herself swallowing her saliva more than she was comfortable with. “... How the hell did you do that with your eyes?”

“Oh, that?” Yang began. “My Semblance triggers when I undergo an adrenaline rush. I get stronger and I hit things harder. It usually activates when my Aura takes enough damage... or I get angry...”

“Clearly,” Weiss replied, giving a nervous laugh.

“... What about yours?” Yang wondered. “What's your Semblance like?”

Ah, right. Weiss figured she'd be asked about it. “I can summon glyphs,” she answered. “On its own, I use them as platforms, or backboards for attacks. But if I mix Dust into the equation, they can do a lot more.” She didn't bring up her Semblance's full potential, as that was something she was still trying to figure out. With little to no success so far.

“Nifty!” Yang commented. “I—”

Yang had to stop talking as she noticed something enter her peripheral vision. She turned her head to the side and noticed a black feather bigger than each of them. And the high-pitched screeching above them, some distance away, only confirmed her suspicion.

Weiss was also aware of what was going on. Their negativity attracted a new type of Grimm that everyone else had to worry about now: a Nevermore. And without her pride blinding her, Weiss realized that it was her fault it was here.

But Yang didn't see this as another blunder the two of them made. In fact, the blonde started grinning.

"Hey, Weiss?" she began. "You used your glyphs during your landing, right?"

Weiss glanced back over to her partner, finding her expression to be... concerning. “Correct. Why do you ask?”

Yang's gaze returned to the Nevermore feather. “I have an idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that one! I know it took a while to make, but most of it was the result of a lack of motivation. The other part of it was writer's block, as I was having a hard time figuring out if I wanted to have Team RWBY pair up in the same way as seen in the show or to do something different. Needless to say, I'm more than happy with the decision to have the team pair up differently, as this chapter turned out wonderfully in my opinion!


	4. Players and Pieces

“WHY DID I AGREE TO DO THIS!?”

Weiss and Yang tracked down and lured the Nevermore that entered the Emerald Forest earlier. Thanks to the fact that the Grimm were attracted to negativity, all that was required to get the creature’s attention was some more bickering between the two of them.

That was the easy part.

Yang and Weiss were in the middle of the hard part, which involved hanging onto the Nevermore for dear life while they used their new vantage point to look for the relics required for their initiation. Then, once they find what they’re looking for, the two of them would begin a landing strategy that incorporated Weiss’s glyphs.

At first, Weiss thought this was a good plan on paper. However, riding the very thing that could swallow them whole without even trying was, in her mind, near-suicidal. And so far, she hasn’t been shy about expressing this.

“I KNEW THIS WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA AND I STILL WENT THROUGH WITH IT!” Weiss continued to yell, her voice raised over the loud wind that made holding onto the Nevermore that much harder.

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?” Yang asked. “THIS IS AN AWESOME IDEA! HOW OFTEN DO YOU GET THE CHANCE TO RIDE A NEVERMORE, HUH?”

“I THINK I’D LIVE JUST FINE IF I HAD **ZERO** CHANCES OF EVER DOING THIS IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!” Weiss answered.

“WEISS, YOU REALLY NEED TO LIVE A LITTLE!” Yang told her partner.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK I’M TRYING TO DO!?” Weiss shot back. “DOES IT LOOK LIKE I WANT TO BE GRIMM FOOD? OR A MANGLED MESS ON THE GROUND?”

“THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!” Yang explained. “JUST KEEP LOOKING AROUND FOR WHERE THE RELICS COULD BE!”

* * *

Ruby and Blake approached the ruins they spotted earlier, sliding down the hill they were on along the way. And, after a bit more walking, the two of them got to see the chess pieces that were on each pedestal up-close. The two of them went to different sides, looking over the choices that they now had.

“Any ideas?” Blake asked, looking over to Ruby.

“Hmm…” Ruby was still mulling over what she could grab and leave with. She could tell that there were duplicate relics, which only confirmed what Ozpin said about these being the deciding factor on what teams are formed. And whatever she’d end up choosing, she’d be with whoever held the duplicate piece for the next four years. Despite the weight of this decision, Ruby already had an idea on what piece to pick. She grabbed one of the golden ones that were on its own pedestal, before cheerfully showing it to Blake.

“I’ve got a good feeling about the knight!” Ruby stated.

Blake shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “Works for me, I guess.”

Since she got her partner’s approval, Ruby pocketed the chess piece. The two of them met up with each other, standing at the center of the ruins together.

Blake looked around. “I guess we got lucky,” she commented. “I hope everyone else isn’t having a hard time.”

Ruby gently nodded. “Yeah, same here. But I know Yang’s capable of holding her own!”

Blake’s amber eyes focused on Ruby. “What makes you say that?” Her tone didn’t have any doubt to it. She was mainly curious to know more about Ruby’s older sister.

Ruby became a bit more animated and cheerful than she already was. “Well, not only is she an awesome sister she’s **fantastic** at unarmed combat!” she explained. “She even taught me how to hold my own if I got into a brawl! Course, I don’t think I’ll ever be as good as her, but I want to believe I can get there eventually!”

Blake couldn’t help but smile again, finding Ruby’s energy to be charming. “Well, if she ends up being on the same team as us, I’m sure we’ll have all the time we need to learn a thing or two from each other.”

That was a neat idea. “Oh, definitely!” Ruby exclaimed. She then paused and started thinking for a moment. “I wonder if she got Weiss to tag along? I’d feel bad if she wasn’t able to.”

Blake became curious once again. This time, there was some surprise mixed in there as well. “Really?” she wondered. “If memory serves, the two of you didn’t get along. Didn’t you also punch her in the face?”

Ruby winced at that reminder, mainly on the inside. “You’re right. We didn’t get along. But I’m doing my best to make it up to her,” she explained. “Yang and I saw how sad Weiss looked when she couldn’t join up with Pyrrha. So I had the idea to invite her to ours. Or at least whichever team we’d end up on.”

So, Ruby was trying to be a bigger person? All things considered, that was more than Blake was ever capable of. And to think, she was supposed to be the older and more mature one of the two.

“You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” Blake commented.

Ruby smirked in response to that. “I guess I am,” she commented. “Anyway. Maybe we should wait for the others? At the very least, we should be able to swoop in and help anyone who—”

Their conversation got interrupted by a high-pitched shriek. Ruby looked to the source, the mouth of a cave.

“I was right!” Ruby was already drawing out Crescent Rose, almost immediately extending it into its scythe form. “Blake, ready your weapon! We’re gonna save that girl’s life!”

However, Blake remained still. One of her cat ears twitched within the ribbon she wore over them. She could hear something past what Ruby was saying, and her gaze went up to the sky. What she saw was even more surprising than the scream from earlier.

Ruby, noticing Blake’s unusual silence, glanced over in her partner’s direction. “Uh, Blake?”

Ruby then saw that her partner was pointing up at something. Her gaze followed, moving up towards the sky. There was a Nevermore soaring through the air! But she noticed something was off. compared to the mass of black that made up its feathers and body, there was a spot of yellow and… Wait a minute…!

Ruby quickly brought her hand off of Crescent Rose, letting her weapon rest idly on the ground, while she fished out her binoculars. She gazed at the Nevermore through them and…

“Noticed something?” Blake asked.

Ruby was too stunned to say anything at first. Hesitantly, she lowered her binoculars from her eyes, and just continued to stare at the Nevermore.

“She did it,” she commented. “She actually did the craziest thing imaginable.”

* * *

“I THINK I CAN SEE WHERE WE’RE SUPPOSED TO GO!” Weiss shouted. She then squinted her eyes, as she noticed two faint figures, one of which was dressed in familiar colors. “YANG, I THINK I SEE YOUR SISTER DOWN THERE!”

“YOU DO?” Yang started leaning a bit, looking down. And sure enough, she could tell that it was Ruby all the way down there. And she looked like she was holding her weapon, too! “YEAH, IT’S HER!”

“GREAT!” Weiss yelled. “NOW CAN WE **PLEASE** GET OFF THE NEVERMORE ALREADY?”

“I’LL FOLLOW YOUR LEAD!” Yang answered back, her tone confident.

Weiss took a moment to steel herself. She just had to remember that this did not differ from when she was catapulted off the cliff earlier. She landed successfully from that. Leaping off a flying Grimm was roughly as dangerous, yet would only need the same landing strategy as before. The catch was that she had to account for two people instead of just herself.

“OKAY. BUT YOU BETTER FOLLOW CLOSE!” Weiss stated.

“WE’LL PRACTICALLY BE IN HAND-HOLDING DISTANCE!” Yang boasted. “READY WHEN YOU ARE!”

“WE’LL JUMP ON THREE!” Weiss started counting down now. “ONE… TWO… THREE!”

Both of them let go of the Nevermore. Weiss set down the first glyph, followed by the second, third, and so on. She intentionally hesitated on dissipating the excess glyphs in order to give Yang a chance to join in. The blonde was successful in doing so, able to shadow Weiss’s movements near-flawlessly. The gap between the two of them was just wide enough that only a single, excess glyph was needed in order to give Yang a large enough window to leap from one glyph to the next, just as planned.

* * *

Blake saw what was going on now, even without binoculars. “Wait, that’s Weiss and Yang!” she observed, her voice raised out of concern. “What were they doing riding a Nevermore!?“

Ruby wasn’t as phased as Blake was. “I mean, she…”

She trailed off as she heard Jaune screaming. The two of them just missed it, but another Grimm had not only entered the fray, but it catapulted Jaune high into the air. He was so high in the air, in fact, that he could reach both Weiss and Yang, who were still in the middle of their landing strategy. This wouldn’t be a problem if Jaune wasn’t on a collision course towards the one person who was leading the whole thing!

Jaune ended up hitting the mark, colliding directly with Weiss’s midsection. This caused her to not only get flung somewhere that **wasn’t** where she was intending to land (at least there was a tree there to catch them!), but all of her glyphs—including the one that Yang needed to leap to next—had vanished.

And as for Yang herself? She was now free-falling, with nothing around to help ease her descent. Gravity didn’t seem so bad at first. It almost felt like she was harmlessly falling for a split second. But, as her speed picked up and the velocity of her fall increased, panic overwhelmed Yang. Her long hair was flapping in the wind, her eyes turned to crimson, and as she fruitlessly flailed her limbs, she screamed out of fear for the inevitable, botched landing.

Ruby was already running towards Yang, knowing exactly what she needed to do. Ruby activated her Semblance, flew up to intercept her free-falling older sister, and grabbed her sister in mid-air.

“Gotcha!” Ruby exclaimed.

Yang then became a spiral of yellow intertwining with Ruby’s spiral of red, both continually spinning around each other. Ruby had more control over their descent this way, which allowed her to head back down to the ground near Blake. And when they did, they slipped out of their dual Petal Burst.

Ruby had Yang in a bridal carry, and she smirked down at her older sister. “Just dropping in?” Ruby quipped

Yang brought her hand to her chest and gasped, responding with mock astonishment as her eyes returned to their normal color. “My hero~!”Her other hand, which was just outside of Ruby’s peripheral vision, flew up to grab that red hood and pull it over her head, and then downward over her face. Ruby didn’t seem to mind this, and just laughed it off. She put her sister back down onto her feet afterwards.

Ruby then remembered that there were two other people with them, who had less-than-ideal landings. She turned around, and saw that they were both on the branch of a tree.

“Weiss? Jaune?” Ruby pulled her hood off of her head as she approached the tree they crashed into. “Are you two alright?”

It was hard to keep track what happened, but the two of them must’ve gotten spun around. Jaune was flush against the trunk of the tree, dazed, while Weiss was already lowering herself off of the branch, letting herself hang for a moment, and then gently dropping onto the ground.

“I’m alright... given the circumstances...” Weiss answered, her serious expression mixing with annoyance. “Although Jaune interrupted the landing strategy your sister and I were doing…”

Jaune dropped to the ground as well, albeit on accident. He leaned too far to the side, and with both comedic timing and a panicked yelp, he belly-flopped onto the green grass below him and grunted.

Weiss then smirked, pointing behind her in the blond knight’s direction. “He ended up making for a good cushion.”

“Glad I could help…” Jaune groaned out.

Everyone’s focus was drawn to a roaring noise in the distance, followed by the sound of manic whooping and explosives going off. And Ursa emerged, running and doing its best to buck off the person riding on top of it. It was a comedic sight to behold.

“COME ON, BOY, WE’RE ALMOST THERE!” Nora hollered. “GIDDY-UP!”

She ended up pushing her luck, however. The Ursa caught Nora off guard and flung her onto the ground. Upon impact, she ended up letting go of Magnhild as well, which slid out of her reach. With Nora prone and her weapon too far away to grab, she was vulnerable.

Ruby watched as the Ursa was rushing in and going for the kill! She brought out Crescent Rose so she could—</p>

Luckily, that wasn’t necessary. Ren leaped from a tree that was close to where the Ursa was at, and in one fluid movement, he not only landed onto the Grimm’s back, but also buried both of StormFlower’s blades directly into its head. The Ursa was slain and ended up falling forward. Ren gracefully rolled off of it, turning around as he stood up. His back was to Nora, and he wait to see if any other surprises would come out of the tree line. But when he realized the coast was clear, he finally relaxed.

During all of this, Yang ran in to grab Nora’s weapon, and then help her up. “Hey, uh… Nora, was it?” Yang asked, offering her free hand. “Are you alright?”

Nora naturally grabbed on, and was pulled back up onto her feet. “Are you kidding? I had an absolute BLAST!” she cheerfully exclaimed. After the dust had settled, everyone (including the now-recovered Jaune) met up with the trio to regroup.

Yang, meanwhile, found Nora’s optimism to be infectious, and she grinned in response. “Yeah, you looked like you were having fun.” Yang offered Magnhild back to Nora (who didn’t hesitate to take it back) before the blonde continued. “Guess I’m not the only one who had the idea to ride in on a Grimm!”

“Who wouldn’t!?” Nora replied. “There’s no better way of making an entrance than riding one of those bad boys into battle!”

Ren sighed. “You’re also forgetting that it’s incredibly dangerous,” he stated.

Weiss went over to stand between Yang and Nora (much to the latter’s surprise), looking to the blonde in particular. “I strongly agree with…” she took a moment to remember the ninja’s name, since it was blurted out in the locker room. “Ren, on this one. I told you how our landing could’ve gone wrong, and it did!”

Yang just smiled at Weiss. “But then it didn’t!” she said with a matter-of-fact tone, before placing a hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “And you can thank Ruby for that!” Jaune deserved an honorable mention as well, for Weiss’s landing. But Yang held her tongue, as she didn’t want to humiliate the poor guy further.

Ruby smiled as she heard her older sister’s praise, and she looked to Weiss. “I know I messed up when we first met. But I really want to show you we can get along. As teammates.”

Weiss looked to Ruby skeptically at first. On the one hand, she felt that the idea of them being on the same team together would be… dubious, both in a cooperative and academic sense. But on the other… Weiss was going to have to make up for how she’s been acting towards Ruby and her sister. And to do that, she was going to have to trust that this girl knew what she was doing.

Weiss gave a sigh, feeling bad about this grudge. “I hope so. For both our—”

And yet another moment was interrupted. This time, the screech of another Grimm could be heard. It was none other than the Death Stalker that ruined Weiss and Yang’s landing strategy. It was chasing after Pyrrha Nikos, who made a tactical retreat. She narrowly dodged its attempts at striking her down, and while her evasions were successful, she was still in trouble!

“Pyrrha!” Jaune exclaimed, before her attention went to everyone else. “We need to save her!”

Ruby had the same idea. She drew out Crescent Rose again, letting it extend into its scythe form and then slamming it into the ground. She took aim down her weapon, and… Wait, what was that sound?

The rest of the group looked up when they heard the Nevermore’s screech from behind.

“GET DOWN!” Jaune shouted.

It dove from the sky, just as everyone hit the deck in order to avoid getting picked up. But the Nevermore wasn’t aiming at anyone on the ground. At first, they thought it was joining in to tag-team against Pyrrha, who was too busy running for her life to notice what was going on. But, astonishingly, it wasn’t going for her either.

It was directly attacking the Death Stalker!

The Nevermore’s razor-sharp talons dragged along the bony carapace of the Death Stalker, but only left scratch marks on it. The Nevermore scorpion’s attention away from Pyrrha, who finally slowed down and turned around to see what was happening.

The Nevermore was in the air, hovering above, as it cawed aggressively at the Death Stalker, which was assuming a defensive posture of its own. They were circling each other, gauging each other for a weakness—anything excuse at all to make the first move.

Meanwhile, as the group of eight stood back up, they just watched what was happening with astonishment. They knew that Grimm were mindless creatures, no smarter than normal animals. But this was new.

“They’re acting… territorial?” Ren observed.

“I didn’t know Grimm did stuff like this,” Jaune commented.

“… Neither did I…” Pyrrha replied.

The group’s focus on the sight before them was broken by another noise. This one was much smaller,—harmless, even—electronic, and somewhat tinny.

Weiss was the closest to the source of this strange sound, so she naturally looked over to see what it was… then squinted. “Seriously?” After hearing Weiss, everybody else looked over to see...

Ruby was caught holding up her Scroll horizontally, aiming the camera built into it directly at the Grimm fight before them. It was only when Weiss spoke up about it that she looked at all the eyes that were on her.

“I’m not gonna pass up an opportunity like this!” she explained, putting her Scroll away. “Besides, this is awesome Scroll background material!”

Pyrrha smiled. “Or extra credit,” she stated, realizing the academic value of gathering evidence of this occurrence.

“Assuming we survive,” Blake retorted. She then looked back over at the two megafauna Grimm. “What are we gonna do about this?”

“We could just snag a relic and make a break for it,” Jaune suggested. “We don’t necessarily have to fight them.”

Ruby looked to Jaune and gave him a rather incredulous look. “And leave everyone else to deal with them? Absolutely not!” she stated. “Besides, if we leave the Nevermore alone, there’s no telling when it’ll attack the school itself.”

“She’s right,” Ren interjected, stepping forward. “It’s our mess, and we need to clean it up. Lets grab the relics, then we can come up with a plan of attack.”

Nobody in the group had any objections. Not even Jaune, even if he first had to come to terms with this change of plan. And what’ll happen if they don’t defeat the Grimm.

The eight of them made their way to where the relics were located. There were still plenty of options for them all to choose from, even if Ruby and Blake already snagged one of them. Yang was trying to figure out which one to take. Luckily, since Ruby already made the choice earlier, she wanted to help.

“Psst! Yang!” Ruby was stage-whispering in order to get her older sister’s attention. And when she saw those lilac eyes look to her, Ruby pulled out the gold knight she grabbed earlier.

Yang smiled, then grabbed the matching relic. Honestly, she was already thinking of grabbing the knight. But it was good that they got to be on the same team together either way!

Nora was looking around for her own piece to grab, just as everyone else was doing the same. “… Oh!” She found something! She snatched one of the chess pieces from its pedestal, before presenting it to everyone else. “King me!”

Yang looked between Nora and the chess piece she held, which was in fact a black king. She gave an amused snort in response. “Aren’t you thinking of checkers?”

“Exactly!” Nora simply replied, grinning.

Jaune couldn’t help but be humored by this as well, even cracking a smile. “Alright, the king it is.” He then went over and grabbed the duplicate piece. Four pairs were now two full teams, awaiting to be given official names. With that out of the way, they just had to worry about the two Grimm.

Both teams got back into position, this time using concealment to make sure they wouldn’t be noticed again. All of them had their weapons at the ready, with Pyrrha wielding Miló in rifle form. They were only away from the scene for several seconds, which meant that they could still observe and plan things out.

“So,” Weiss began, looking to everyone. “Any bright ideas?”

Ruby thought for a moment, looking over to the duel that was happening. “Well, I never fought a Nevermore or an over-sized scorpion before,” she commented.

“That would be a Death Stalker,” Pyrrha pointed out, which got the attention of the others. “The best way to take those down would be to aim for the eyes to cut off its legs.”

Ruby looked at it again. “Not sure I’d be able to attack it from the front, though,” she mentioned. “Not with those claws in the way.”

“Precisely!” Pyrrha replied. “We just have to go around it or wait for an opening, then we can strike.”

Everyone’s focus went back to the fight, as the Death Stalker was now trying to use its stinger to attack the Nevermore flying above. It missed its first strike. Its second strike was countered as the Nevermore grabbed onto its opponent’s tail. The Death Stalker was fruitlessly trying to wiggle out of the Nevermore’s grip as it flew away. Being lifted by its tail, its entire underside was exposed to anyone with ranged attacks.

Well, this was an opening if Ruby’s ever seen one! “Guns at the ready!”

One after the other, everyone readied their ranged weaponry, or at least took the time to switch to the ranged variation of their weapons. The only exception was Jaune, who was too busy being slightly bummed out about only having a sword and shield.

Ruby carefully tracked the Death Stalker through Crescent Rose's scope. She watched as the Nevermore continued to carry it through the air, flying towards the original cave opening that the massive scorpion emerged from. Then the Nevermore suddenly flew upwards, finally letting go and forcing the Death Stalker to slam its back against the wall of rock above the cave opening.

“NOW!” Ruby yelled, already firing off shots from Crescent Rose.

Those that could shoot alongside Ruby did so. Bullets of various calibers, plus grenades from Nora and Dust projectiles from Yang’s shotgun-gauntlets, dealt a substantial amount of collective damage. It wasn’t enough that the Death Stalker lost its little turf war. No, it was being punished even further through pure saturation fire. And from the pained screeches it was letting off, it most definitely wasn’t enjoying itself.

The Grimm was already emitting black mist from its belly, and yet the mass destruction only continued until the creature landed directly onto its back, its limbs tensing up and closing on itself. Then, it was as still as a rock, still emitting that eerie ebony mist as the Death Stalker dematerialized.

The gunners that took it down were already reloading their weapons, while Jaune stared in amazement at what just happened.

“… Wow,” he commented. “That was quick!”

Ren looked over to the blond knight. “It helped that we were all working together.” He then gave a knowing glance to Nora and Yang. “And that more than one of us use explosives.”

Nora grinned ear-to-ear to Ren, knowing exactly who he was referring to.

“And now for the real challenge,” Pyrrha began. “We still have to deal with that Nevermore. Only now, we have to track down where it went.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Ruby cocked Crescent Rose. “Let’s go bird hunting.”

* * *

There isn’t much different about the fight against the Nevermore in this story compared to the original tale you’ve no doubt heard before. But for the sake of completeness, I’ll at least summarize what happened.

What would soon become Team RWBY and Team JNPR tracked the Nevermore down. It was flying around another set of ancient ruins, much larger with a stone bridge leading to it. At first, they simply thought to shoot at it like before. But unlike the Death Stalker they had slain before, it seemed to shrug off even the high-caliber rounds from Ruby’s Crescent Rose.

So, they devised a Plan B. They could not ground the giant bird, but with the help of Weiss’s Semblance and Blake’s Gambol Shroud used a slingshot, Ruby outright decapitated the beast using the scythe form of her weapon with brutal combat effectiveness. Not only did both teams collect their relics as instructed by Professor Ozpin, but they proved themselves to be capable enough warriors to take down not one, but two megafauna Grimm.

As far as they were concerned, they had more than passed their initiation.

* * *

Everyone that passed initiation gathered together at the auditorium that every first-year student was at yesterday. Among the audience were school faculty, and students that had long since passed their initiation and had graduated beyond their first year at Beacon.

“Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark.”

While the other teams were being made official, Yang looked over to her younger sister with a warm smile. And, feeling eyes on her, Ruby looked over at the blonde, giving a smile in return.

“What’s that look for?” Ruby asked, her voice quiet enough to where only the two of them could hear each other.

“It’s the look of someone who’s happy to be proven wrong,” Yang answered.

Ruby’s smile only grew more after hearing that, proud of herself. “You really weren’t expecting me to pass, were you?”

Yang shook her head. “It’s not that,” Yang stated, her expression more serious. “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t gonna let it get to you if you failed. Buuut that was before I learned that failing initiation would’ve involved getting eaten by a Nevermore, or stung by a Death Stalker.”

Ruby laughed a little at that, getting Weiss’s attention. “Yeah, I guess Professor Ozpin really wanted to make sure we were ready for Beacon. I wonder if the other academies are like that?”

“Definitely not,” Weiss stated, grabbing the attention of the two sisters. “While I’m not sure about Vacuo or Mistral, I can at least be certain that Atlas’s initiation isn’t nearly as unorthodox.”

“Atlas, huh?” Blake joined the conversation. “Have you been there before?”

“I have!” Weiss proudly stated. “I attended the school during my early trainee years before I attended Beacon. And before me, my sister—“

The four girls had their attention drawn back to the group that had officially been dubbed Team JNPR. They heard a sudden yelp, and by the time they looked over to see what was going on, Jaune was flat on his butt and Pyrrha was looking somewhat guilty, much to the amusement of the audience. Realizing how far behind they let themselves be, the final group to be sworn into the academy quickly made their way forward to stand in the same spot that all the other teams previously stood.

Ozpin smiled and looked to the four of them. “And finally: Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as…”

Ruby glanced over to Weiss, smiling to her and giving her a knowing look. She knew that if anyone was going to be a leader, it’d definitely be the heiress.

“Team RWBY.”

Ruby looked back over at Ozpin. Wait...

“Lead by Ruby Rose!”

Lead by… No way…!

Ozpin could see the look of surprise that the new team leader had. “You have far more potential than you realize, miss Rose,” he stated amid the cheering. “May you fulfill your new role to the best of your ability.”

Ruby was definitely surprised by this revelation. Ozpin thought **she** was worthy of leading the team? Even Weiss was just as surprised as Ruby was! The heiress was hoping to have the role of leader, so she wasn’t expecting to be blindsided with the fact that the team was lead by the youngest one on stage, if not in the entire academy!

Yang, however, felt the opposite that Weiss did. She was downright ecstatic, giving in to her overwhelming desire to grab Ruby and lift her up into a bear hug. “Ooh, I’m so damn proud of you!”

And as for Blake, she couldn’t help but smile at both sisters. Not because of how adorable their current interaction was right now, but also because of Ruby herself. While her track record of being able to judge people’s characters was… checkered, she could at least tell from their time in the Emerald Forest that Ruby had what it took to be a team leader. She hadn’t imagined that she’d be on the same team as a Schnee, however. Because of that, Blake had a feeling that this was going to be an interesting year.

After finally being put back down onto her feet by her sister, Ruby looked back over at Blake and smiled. Inwardly, however, she was reminded of something just now: “Belladonna.” That last name… Ruby couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something significant about it. And from yesterday’s exploration of the school grounds with Jaune, she knew that Beacon had a library. Maybe she could find a book there that’ll help her figure Blake out a bit more.

* * *

After the ceremony was over, Ruby had to tell the rest of her team she had to step away to check something. She wasn’t lying, of course. She just omitted what it was she was doing and where she was going. Despite this, the team didn’t pay any mind to Ruby’s minor scheme.

The trip to the library itself was uneventful. It was a very large area, containing two floors consisting of bookshelves as far as the eye could see (and rows of reading desks on the first floor, with more likely being on the second). The ceiling was also incredibly high, while there were plenty of glass pane windows, together reminding Ruby of a cathedral.

Ruby just stared onward, almost intimidated by the amount of books that were there. But this was also a good thing! With so many books here, there might be at least one that had to do with genealogy. Or at least something close to it!

“Is there something I can help you with, Miss Rose?” asked a feminine, older voice.

Ruby curiously turned her head, with her body shortly following suit, as she looked to see who was speaking to her from behind.

Smiling down to Ruby was a blue-eyed brunette, her bangs and long hair turning blue at the ends. She wore a blue ribbon around her neck, and a long black dress with blue frills and puffy sleeves that reached all the way to her wrists. The dress itself had a second, outer layer that went from her chest to where the knees were, the texture of which resembled scales. Much like the scales all over the thick and very obvious reptilian tail she had. Ruby wasn’t surprised by the sight of a Faunus, but it was still interesting to see.

Ruby opened her mouth to answer the stranger’s question, but she had to stop herself when she noticed one other detail. “Hey, wait… You’re the girl with the nunchucks I saw when I first arrived at Beacon!” she pointed out, even motioning to the triple-pronged weapon on the girl’s hip.

The Faunus giggled a bit at Ruby’s reaction. “Ah, yes. You're referring to Queen Cerberus,” she responded. She brought her hands together, keeping them in front of herself. “I am Ms. Melanie, and I am the librarian here at Beacon.”

Well, what are the odds of that? Still, Ms. Melanie could definitely help Ruby out! “I’m glad I ran into you, then!” she cheerfully replied. “I’m actually looking for some books related to genealogy, or at least family names in general.”

Ms. Melanie felt that this was a rather interesting choice of book to be pursuing. It was a topic she knew wouldn’t be pursued without a reason. “We do have books like that here. Just so I can help you narrow things down for you, what lineage are you trying to look up?”

Ruby didn’t see the harm in answering. “The Belladonnas.”

That’s… Oh dear. Ms. Melanie was doing her best not to seem too perturbed by the answer. She was told by Professor Ozpin to keep what Blake was a secret. However... Ruby Rose was Blake’s team leader now. In Ms. Melanie’s opinion, the girl deserved to know about this.

“… I see,” she hesitantly responded, still doing her best to maintain a cordial demeanor. “That book in particular is not actually on any of the shelves here. Follow me to the front desk, and I will bring it from my office.”

Ruby didn’t really notice anything off about Ms. Melanie’s reaction, and so she walked with the librarian without delay. During the walk across the library, however, she struck up a conversation.

“So, Ms. Melanie…” Ruby was trying to figure out how to word this, as she didn’t want to offend the librarian by accident. “Are you supposed to be some kind of Lizard Faunus? Um, if it’s okay to ask that, anyway...”

“You are close!” Ms. Melanie answered. She definitely didn’t seem offended by the question. From her tone, she seemed eager to provide an answer. “I am actually a Komodo Dragon.”

Oh, she’s one of those! “Cooool!” Ruby gleefully exclaimed. “So does that mean you have the power to envenom people by biting them?”

The thought of that alone got a small laugh out of Ms. Melanie. “It would be very useful if I could do that. But, no. A Faunus can only have one animal trait at a time. The only real “power” I have, which is common with all Faunus, is night vision.”

“Oh.” Ruby was only slightly disappointed by this. “Night vision’s pretty neat too.”

Ms. Melanie could tell that Ruby was harmless. Naive, but harmless. “I assume that I am the first Faunus you have ever met?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Ruby replied. “I don’t actually know any back in Patch, and it’s a pretty small place. They’re always being brought up on the news because of the White Fang, but—“

“And what do you think of them?” Ms. Melanie asked, standing in front of Ruby.

Ruby stopped in her tracks. She was surprised by the sudden, and frankly loaded, question. She was too focused on trying to figure out a good answer to notice that Ms. Melanie’s expression had become more serious. Was this some kind of trap she was walked into?

“W-Well, that depends on what you’re talking about,” Ruby began. “If you’re talking about Faunus, I don’t have a reason to dislike them. They’re people too. But if you’re talking about the White Fang, I know why they exist. But I don’t agree with how they’re going about what they’re trying to achieve…”

Ms. Melanie frowned. “I was talking about the White Fang, yes,” she explained. “They did not always have such an “end justifies the means” mentality. In fact, they were called the White Fang for a reason: they are white because they are not stained with blood.”

Ruby nodded a little, understanding what the librarian was saying. “So they were originally peaceful and then turned violent?”

“Exactly,” Ms. Melanie replied, smiling. She then turned around and continued walking the rest of the way to their destination. “I apologize for putting you on the spot like that, by the way. I was simply curious.”

Ruby followed along, then shrugged her shoulders. “Well, you scared me for a bit. But it’s okay.”

Soon enough, they were at the front desk. Ruby remained at the outer end of the desk while Ms. Melanie opened the door to her office. After a minute of waiting, the librarian came back with a book in hand. She carefully placed it on the desk. Ruby’s silver eyes looked over the cover, which read, “The Belladonna Dynasty.”

“Wow. Must be pretty important if there’s a whole book dedicated to them,” Ruby commented, before opening the book. She flipped through a few of the pages. And the more she skimmed through the book, the greater Ruby’s intrigue grew. Soon enough, she found two pages that made one large picture: a family tree of the different Belladonnas. Ms. Melanie pointed to two specific portraits, which had the names “Kali” and “Ghira.” Just from looking at the head shot portraits, Ghira looked like a normal human, but the cat ears Kali had were fairly obvious.

“Those two are the parents of your teammate,” Ms. Melanie stated. “Both of them are Faunus, just as she is.”

Ruby glanced up at the librarian, finally understanding what was going on. She took a step back and crossed her arms underneath her bosom. “So why all the secrecy?”

Ms. Melanie was a bit surprised by that response. “I beg your pardon?”

“You had this book stashed away in your office so nobody could get it without asking,” Ruby pointed out. “You were also grilling me just a second ago about my views on Faunus politics. Nobody’s supposed to know that Blake is a Faunus, are they?”

The librarian sighed. “You are quite observant, I will give you that.”

Ruby smirked in response. “My uncle always told me to think like a Huntress. So, yeah, I know how to put two-and-two together.”

Ms. Melanie leaned more against the desk while she motioned for Ruby to come closer. Ruby hesitated, but she did as instructed, propping her forearms onto the edge and leaning against it a little.

“Professor Ozpin instructed me and the rest of the school faculty to not mention that Blake is a Faunus,” Ms. Melanie explained, her voice hushed. “She has made it clear that she wants to keep that part of her a secret.”

Ruby raised an eyebrow at this. Really now? “So why are you telling **me** about something meant to be a secret?” she whispered back.

“Because you are too smart for your own good,” Ms. Melanie teased, smiling. “Plus, subjectively… you are her team leader. You have a right to know. But there is something I must ask of you.”

“I can keep a secret just fine,” Ruby stated, already having a clear picture of what was going to be asked of her.

“Good,” Ms. Melanie replied. “But that is simply the first part. The second part is a little more complex, but you are not obligated to go through with it if you cannot.”

Ruby shrugged her shoulders. “Alright. Lay it on me.”

Ms. Melanie hesitated… before she continued. “While some Faunus may feel ashamed of being who they are, there are others like me who take pride in being a Faunus, despite the circumstances. Someone like Blake should not feel pressured into keeping her pedigree a secret. If you can find the opportunity to do so, I implore you to talk to her about it. Help her realize that Beacon is a place where anyone, regardless of race, can be trained and taught to become a full-fledged Huntsman or Huntress.”

Now Ruby was understanding why her being in a position of leadership was so important. Because this was one of what would be many responsibilities involved, even if it was a problem unique to her own team. And it got Ruby thinking about the initiation ceremony. About what Professor Ozpin told her.

“… I’ll keep that in mind,” Ruby replied. “Do you mind if I ask you an unrelated question?”

"Of course," Ms. Melanie replied.

Ruby hesitated for a moment. She knew what question to ask, but she had to think on **how** to ask the question. “… Do you think Professor Ozpin really sees me as leader material? That I have potential?”

Ms. Melanie smiled warmly at Ruby. “Miss Rose, you are talking about a man who, for as long as I have known him, has proven to be wise far beyond his years and an astonishing judge of character. You should instead ask a question that only you know the answer to: ‘How hard am I willing to work to prove him right?’”

Wow. Not only did Ms. Melanie look up to him that much, but she gave Ruby some wisdom as well. That was a great question too! So, how hard **was** she willing to work to prove Professor Ozpin right? Almost immediately, she figured out the answer. Ruby looked into the librarian’s azure eyes and said it:

“Harder than anyone else here.”

Ms. Melanie finally moved away from her side of the desk, standing upright again. “That is a great answer, and also a good attitude to have,” she stated, flashing Ruby a grin. “But remember: a flame that burns twice as bright lasts half as long. All of us would hate to see you end up like said flame.”

“I know,” Ruby replied, taking a step back as well. “Being here means the world to me, and the last thing I want to do is flunk or drop out. Thanks, Ms. Melanie. I’m glad we met.”

The librarian nodded. “Likewise. Good night, Miss Rose.”

“G’night!” Ruby replied, waving to Ms. Melanie as she walked out of the library. The silver-eyed student was more than glad to have stopped by. She left the library with some important information and a new sense of motivation and direction.

Yeah. She was going to be the best team leader that Weiss, Blake, and Yang will ever have!


End file.
